This astonishingly quick meal is a hot pasta salad. I love the classic flavours of Capresse salad (buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, olive oil and balsamic) but needed something more substantial for dinner so pasta was the natural solution. Apart from cooking the penne, there is almost no cooking for this dish. You just warm the tomatoes a little in the cooked pasta, stir in the fresh ingredients and dinner is ready.

The balsamic glaze has a much higher sugar content than balsamic vinegar which is what balances out the natural acidity of the tomatoes. It combines with the olive oil for a sweet, tart and silky sauce. This is a perfect quick and tasty summer dish.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults
175g penne
1 buffalo mozzarella
175g cherry tomatoes
large handful of basil leaves
good olive oil
balsamic glaze (recipe here)
salt and pepper

• Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet instructions. Whilst it’s cooking prepare the other ingredients. Cut the tomatoes in half and grind over generously with salt and pepper. Drain the mozzarella and cut into cubes. Roughly chop the basil leaves.
• Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the hot pan on the residual heat of the hob and drizzle over a good amount of good olive oil. Add the tomatoes and stir then place a lid on for a minute so that the tomatoes soften.
• Pour a generous amount of the balsamic glaze over the pasta (balsamic vinegar wont work here as it needs the sweetness of the glaze to balance the tomatoes). Stir the glaze into the pasta then add the cheese and basil then dish up.