This Goat Cheese Pasta Salad is a delightful salad that is fresh and sweet with the perfect amount of saltness. It creates a quick, easy, and delicious pasta salad, perfect for a buffet or summer BBQ.
It is so delightful to cook in the summer. The farmer’s markets and my garden arebursting with fresh veggies and herbs to create delicious recipes. You don’t need to turnthe oven on verymuch. The grill is smoking with delicious meats and salads are beingtossed with all the freshness summertime can bring.
When I decided to make the Goat Cheese Pasta Salad with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Prosciutto, I used an old family favorite and put my spin on the recipe. The most important item in the recipe is fresh tomatoes. The plum tomato is used and known forits chewy flesh and low water content, making it the perfect tomato for a pasta salad.With the theme of the salad heading down the Italian alley, comes the salty flavor of Kalamata olives along with prosciutto and then fresh basil.
To help save time, buy the Kalamata olives pitted. Cut the prosciutto into thin strips. Basil is cut into thin strips that are called Chiffonade. It’s a french cooking term to place the basil leaves on top of each other and then roll them up and slice into thin strips. Chiffonade will preserve the oils in the basil as opposed to chopping with can release the oils onto your cutting board. They all compliment each other to make a delightful salad that is fresh and sweet with the perfect amount of saltness.
The dressing has the bite with the two kinds of vinegar and the spice from the red pepper flakes. The real hero here is the goat cheese which becomes creamy when mixed all together to finish the salad.
It creates a quick, easy, and delicious light and healthy entrée, but could also be used aside pasta salad, or on a buffet, serving eight to ten. Make this in summer when fresh local tomatoes are at their best.