This fresh and aromatic pasta salad is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, good for summer parties, picnics, lunch boxes, or simply for a light family dinner. Easy to make, and nothing screams more “Amalfi coast” than this tasty pasta dish. The combination of sweet basil with the umami of tomatoes, the acidity of lemon juice, the richness of mozzarella, and the perfect Al dente texture of Barilla pasta makes it a true pleasure for the palate.
If drying tomatoes [the drying process concentrates the flavours but alternatively the tomatoes can be added to the salad raw to reduce preparation time]: squeeze out and discard seeds and juice. Turn oven on to 230F, place tomatoes on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, cut side up, and dry in the oven for 3 hours. Set aside.
Bring two pots of water to boil. In the first pot, cook Barilla Orzo Pasta for 9 min, drain and stir in 1 tbsp olive oil to prevent from sticking, place flat on a sheet pan to cool down.
Plunge basil in the other boiling water and almost immediately [about 5 seconds] drain and cool down in icy water. Drain and process in blender with remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Drain bocconcini from container and combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Decorate with basil leaves before serving.
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