Caprese Sausage Pasta Salad Recipe 465

Steps:

• Fill 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of water; heat to boiling. Add Pasta. Gently boil, uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.
• Meanwhile, to toast pine nuts, place in ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly until nuts are light brown.
• In large bowl, combine Seasoning mix from packet, cold water and oil. Stir in tomatoes, cheese and sausage. Stir in cooked pasta until well mixed.
• Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Garnish with pine nuts and basil.

Steps:

• Toss the mozzarella and cherry tomatoes with the Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate. If I'm making this for dinner, I usually get the cheese and tomatoes in the fridge to marinate a few hours before I plan to assemble the salad.
• In a skillet on low heat, heat the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook on low for 5-10 minutes allowing the garlic to soften (but not brown) and infuse the oil.
• Meanwhile, boil the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Set the pasta mixture aside to cool.
• Once the pasta is cooled, add the cheese and tomatoes along with the dressing marinade. Season the salad with salt and pepper and top with 3 tablespoons fresh basil.