Gluten-Free, Organic and Non-GMO Pasta With Caprese Sauce

For this pasta recipe we used gluten-free, organic and non-gmo pasta made by Tolerant Foods (see “Gluten-Free, Organic and Non-GMO Pasta” article for more details).

We chose their red lentil penne pasta, because of its milder taste, and paired it with a “Caprese Sauce” using raw tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil as key ingredients.

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4 people

 

 

Ingredients

Tolerant Foods Penne – 12 oz (340 grams)
Ripe tomatoes – 2 lb (925 grams)
Garlic – 1 clove – skin removed and cut into two pieces
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 3 tablespoons (45 grams)
Buffalo mozzarella- 10.6 oz (300 grams)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano – 3 tablespoons (45 grams)
Basil 8-10 leaves
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to drizzle over pasta)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (to sprinkle over pasta)

Prepare the sauce

1. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and carefully remove the stems, if any.
2. Cut a very shallow X on the bottom of each tomato.
3. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set it aside.
4. Place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Make sure there is enough water to cover all your tomatoes. Then, drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch for 30 to 40 seconds.
5. Quickly remove the tomatoes and place them into the prepared bowl of ice water for 2 minutes to stop the cooking process. Remove the tomatoes from the ice water.
6. With a paring knife peel each tomato and remove the green core.
7. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds with your fingers.
8. Remove all seeds and cut the tomatoes into a small dice.
9. Place your diced tomatoes between two sheets of paper towel for 5 minutes to remove the excess water.
10. Remove the buffalo mozzarella from its container and carefully cut it into small cubes.
11. Place the buffalo mozzarella between two sheets of paper towel for 5 minutes to remove the excess water.

Assemble the dish

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes and 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of olive oil and garlic clove and the buffalo mozzarella.
2. Let stand for 30 minutes and then add salt to taste.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt to taste.
4. Cook the pasta “al dente”.
5. Strain the pasta.
6. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of grated Parmigiano Regiano into bowl with the tomatoes and add the pasta.
7. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces and add to pasta.
8. Toss the pasta and add more grated cheese.
9. Drizzle with more olive oil and serve.