Chilled Italian Mozzarella Pasta Salad
The heat of summer is firmly upon us, and as much as I love cooking there are days when I simply must avoid standing over a hot stove for an hour or more, yet I want a tasty, homemade meal. The answer often lies in an IC friendly pasta salad like this one here which I invented simply with what we had on hand at the time.
There is so much room for versatility with this recipe; you can add any fresh herbs that or other veggies (sometimes I toss in a diced bell pepper, zucchini or chopped chives) that you desire. This lovely Italian inspired salad compliments grilled meats wonderfully, and is also, I've found, a perfect midnight snack.
Chilled Italian Mozzarella Pasta Salad
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into bite size pieces
½ cucumber, peeled if required, chopped or thinly sliced to your liking
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup (or more if you like) of chopped fresh basil leaves
½ cup cream cheese, softened (let it come to room temperature)
¼ milk (you may need a little more or a little less)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb (450 grams) of dried pasta such as bow ties, penne, macaroni or other small to medium sized pasta shapes
Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the package, you want it to be just al dente, so that it will retain its shape when mixed into the salad and chilled. Once the pasta is cooked, strain it and run cold water over the pasta (in the strainer) until it is no longer warm.
While the pasta is cooking, in a small frying pan over medium heat pour in the olive oil and gently add in the minced garlic, stir often until the garlic just begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the soft cream cheese with the milk, cooked garlic (and it's olive oil), cucumber, chopped fresh basil and salt & pepper (to taste). Once combined stir in the cooled, cooked pasta and toss gently with a large mixing spoon until everything is coated in the cream cheese sauce. If required add a little more olive oil to stretch the sauce and ensure that each piece of pasta is well covered.
Just before you pop it in the fridge, gently stir in the chopped fresh mozzarella and cover the entire bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Allow to chill for at least an hour before serving. This salad will keep for 3 days in the fridge, if well covered.
Serves 4-6 as a side dish or 3-4 as a light main course