Shrimp and Penne Pasta Salad with Pesto, Bocconcini and Cherry Tomatoes
Why I Love This Recipe
It is the fresh ingredients that makes this simple dish so good. This is a classic combination of tomatoes, basil and fresh mozarella cheese ... almost reminds me of the Margherita :)
Ingredients You'll Need
For the dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Rest of the ingredients:
13 oz penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb small cooked shrimp
1 tbsp white wine
3 1/2 oz bocconcini, thinly sliced
4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
1. For the pesto dressing, process all the ingredients together in a food processor unitl smooth.
2. Cook pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well, return to pan and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Let it cool.
3. Peel and clean the shrimp. Heat a medium skillet, add in remaining olive oil. Toss in the shrimp and the wine. Cook the shrimp until it turns opaque, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Place the pasta, shrimp, bocconcini and tomatoes in a large serving bowl and pour in the dressing. Toss together well and garnish with basil leaves to serve.
Enjoy!
PS: For a vegetarian version, just omit the shrimp.
