Summer Tomato Pasta Salad

Ingredients
• 2-1/4 cups wholegrain dried Penne Pasta (use any pasta u like)
• About 3-4 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved (or use quartered plum tomatoes or any sweet tomatoes)

• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of cubed fresh mozzarella cheese (You can also use Paneer instead)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• few fresh basil leaves, shredded
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

You can use any tomatoes you like. I had some fresh cherry tomatoes which I halved and used for this recipe. They look so cute and don’t really need cooking. They are sweet and juicy. If you don’t like seeds, halve the tomatoes and remove the seeds (and chop them some more if using large tomatoes).

Cook the pasta according to the package instruction until al dente (just tender). I have for long moved to using wholegrain Pasta more often hence used a wholegrain version of Penne. You can use whatever you have on hand.

Meanwhile, mix together the oil, vinegar, lemon zest and about 1 tbsp lemon juice along with basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and cheese . Toss it well and let it sit until the pasta is cooked.

Drain the Pasta and toss with the tomatoes mixture.

 Serve it immediately garnished with more basil if desired. Some yummy garlic bread as an accompaniment would make this picture perfect!