Orecchiette Bruschetta Pasta Salad

Bruschetta Pasta - a fresh tomato orecchiette pasta salad with sweet cherry tomatoes, basil, lemon and garlic. The quintessential meatless summer meal to make use of all those colorful homegrown or farmers market tomatoes and fresh basil.

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bruschetta, pasta salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 588kcal

Ingredients

1 lb orecchiette pasta
4 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil (thinly sliced or torn)
4-6 cloves garlic grated into a paste
2 lemons (zested + juiced)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more as needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add them too a bowl with the grated garlic, olive oil and the juice from 2 lemons. (Optional: add the zest from 1 lemon for extra zing if desired). Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and mix well. Allow to sit and macerate at room temperature while you cook the pasta.
4 cups cherry tomatoes, 4-6 cloves garlic, 2 lemons, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more as needed
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and generously season with a heavy pinch of coarse salt. Add the orecchiette pasta and cook until al dente following the directions on the package. Drain in a colander and immediately rinse well under cold water.
1 lb orecchiette pasta
Add the orecchiette to a large mixing bowl together with the marinated cherry tomatoes and all their juices / marinade. Toss to combine and stir in the basil.
1 lb orecchiette pasta, 1/2 cup fresh basil, 2 lemons, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more as needed, 4-6 cloves garlic
Taste the pasta salad and adjust seasonings to taste with more lemon, olive oil and sea salt. Add a pinch of red chili flakes for heat and enjoy.

Notes

Pasta Shapes - Southern Italian orecchiette or "little ears" are really lovely here, however you can use little shells or conchigliette instead, shellbows, cavatelli, fusilli or penne, even gnocchi if your heart so desires. Boil in plenty of salted water just until al dente, drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Garlic - this is your moment, go crazy here with as much as you can handle but make sure to use a microplane zester and grate the garlic into a paste. Toss it with the tomatoes, lemon, salt and olive oil and allow them to sit together while the pasta is cooking. This will tame the garlic and take the sting off while infusing everything else with its divine flavor.

Nutrition