Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Mozzarella Salad
Prep time: 5 minutes / Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4.
This recipe is vegetarian
Approximate full recipe cost £3.85
INGREDIENTS:
500g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsps. oil
400g fusilli pasta
250g fresh mozzarella, drained & cut to bite size pieces
Handful of fresh basil, leaves picked
Salt & cracked black pepper
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
METHOD:
1. Start by roasting the cherry tomatoes: preheat your oven to 190°C.
2. Add your halved tomatoes in a bowl together with the oil, crushed garlic & some cracked black pepper. Mix the tomatoes well so that they are covered with the oil, garlic & pepper.
3. Transfer the tomatoes to a large oven tray and spread them into a single layer, cut side up.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are soft and smell delicious. Leave aside to cool down.
5. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once cooked, drain and refresh under the cold water tap.
6. To finish the salad: in a large bowl add the cooled cherry tomatoes, refreshed pasta, pieces of mozzarella & basil leaves. Mix well.
7. You can finish it off with a drizzle of oil & a splash of balsamic vinegar (if using). Now the salad is ready to serve.
TIPS:
When roasting the tomatoes, it is very important that they are spread out on a single layer. If you do not have a tray big enough just use a couple of smaller ones.
If you have it available, olive oil is best for this recipe.
This salad can be prepared ahead & kept in the fridge. Perfect for picnics & packed lunches.
If you want to save time you could use a jar of sundried tomatoes instead, it will not be as nice but it will do in a pinch.
You could use feta cheese instead of mozzarella and add some olives to make it a Greek style salad.
If you have the time, the cherry tomatoes can be slow roasted instead. Follow the same instructions but bake them at 160°C until they go dry and a bit dark around the edges. It intensifies the tomato flavour, really delicious!
This is meant to be a simple salad with not many ingredients but feel free to add some extra salad vegetables like cucumber, red onion or lettuce leaves.
Make it vegan by adding vegan mozzarella instead.
