Italian pasta salad

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 800 g pasta (e.g. penne)
• salt water
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper(s)
• ½ cucumber(s)
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 handful of olives, green or black, if desired
• 100 g arugula
• 100g mozzarella
• 1 handful of basil
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Parmesan, grated
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

for beautiful summer days or those days when you wish for summer to come

For the dressing, press the garlic cloves through a garlic press and add them to a blender along with the other ingredients. Chop everything and mix. If you don’t have a blender, you can finely chop the basil leaves and mix everything together in a bowl. At the same time, you can cook the pasta in salted water until it’s al dente (it’s better if it has a bite and isn’t too soft, otherwise it will break when you toss the salad later). Add the hot pasta to a large bowl. Add the dressing and mix everything well. Peel and dice the bell pepper. Quarter and slice the onion. Add both to the warm pasta and mix. Grate the mozzarella or cut it into very fine pieces. Add it to the pasta and mix. The pasta will still be warm, so the cheese will combine nicely with it! Now let the salad cool slightly (5-15 minutes, depending on the temperature). Halve the cherry tomatoes widthwise, halve the cucumber lengthwise, and slice them. Add them to the bowl along with the arugula and olives, if using. Mix everything well again. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, if desired.