Today, I’m excited to share with you my absolute favorite Italian recipe!

There is nothing Sean and I love more than caprese. When in Italy on our honeymoon, we had caprese up to four times a day – no joke – without tiring of it. Buffalo mozzarella, ripe tomato and sweet basil go together like nothing else in Italian food.

You may be used to caprese salad, or a caprese panini, but now I’m here to introduce you to the joy that is caprese pasta”.

You’ll need:

• 1 package spaghetti
• 1/2 cup small mozzarella balls
• 2 pounds assorted tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup loosely packed Italian parsley leaves

Instructions:

1. Slice tomatoes in half and add to large mixing bowl.
2. Mince shallot and garlic and add to tomatoes. Stir in red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Set mixture aside for 2 hours, tossing occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti to al dente perfection. Drain and return to pot.
5. Add marinated tomato mixture and mozzarella balls to pasta; toss. Stir in basil and parsley leaves. Serve warm.

This recipe was adapted from Southern Living (1) and (2). I typically omit the basil leaves to allow the red wine vinegar and shallot flavors to speak for themselves. Because I use an entire box of pasta and not just 8 ounces, I also add a bit more olive oil and red wine vinegar to the marinated tomato mixture, so that it will coat the pasta.