This caprese pasta dish uses gluten-free quinoa linguine, fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. The dressing is a light homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
I have been meaning to make this for a couple of weeks now. My husband has really ramped up his triathlon training so I’ve been asked to cook more carbs. I can do that but they will be healthy carbs of course. I finally got around to flushing out this recipe on Snapchat last week. I made it again a couple of days ago for a vegetarian potluck dinner with some girlfriends. It was a hit at the potluck so here it is. I started slicing my cherry tomatoes in half then I got lazy that’s why you see them whole. For the seasoning, I used Flavor God’s Italian Zest. It’s one of my favorites; I highly recommend you buy some. In the meantime, here is an alternative Italian seasoning for you from Allrecipes.com:
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dried cilantro
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
In a food processor, combine basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, cilantro, thyme, savory and red pepper flakes. Blend for 1 minute, or until desired consistency is achieved.
I decided to keep this meal gluten-free by using quinoa linguine by Ancient Harvest. You can use any type of noodles you want. It doesn’t have to be quinoa, it doesn’t have to be linguine. For example a substitute to use could be whole wheat rotini but of course it will no longer be gluten-free.
I suggest you pour the dressing a little at a time until all the pasta is covered to your liking the first time you make this. I prefer my pasta on the lightly dressed-side so if you find this too light for you, don’t hesitate to add some more.
- 16 ounces linguine
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp lemon juice
- Cook pasta according to instructions on box. Drain pasta and allow to cool. Once cooled, add pasta to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning and lemon juice.
- Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat evenly.
- Top with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.
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