Italian pasta salad

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PRESENTATION

Among the most popular dishes during the hot summer days, and not only in Italy, there are certainly pasta salads: fresh, colorful and full of genuine and tasty ingredients, they help us to better face the heat of this season. The Italian pasta salad, for example, embodies a mix of typically Mediterranean flavors - fried eggplant, cherry tomatoes, basil - enriched with cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese and tasty cooked ham. A nutritious and delicious dish to be enjoyed for a lunch break at work, to take to a picnic in a cooler bag, or to serve for a summer dinner.

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INGREDIENTS

Fusilli pasta 11 oz (320 g)
Eggplant 12 oz (340 g)
Cherry tomatoes 12 oz (340 g)
Mozzarella cheese 7 oz (200 g)
Cooked ham 4 oz (120 g) - cut into cubes
Basil 5 leaves
Salt 1 pinch
For frying
Peanut seed oil 2 cups (0.5 l)
Preparation

How to prepare Italian pasta salad

To prepare the Italian pasta salad, start with the eggplants: wash them, dry them and cut them into cubes about half an inch (1 cm) thick.

Heat peanut oil in a frying pan; when it is very hot, dip the eggplant cubes a few at a time and fry them for 3-4 minutes, stirring them from time to time. When they are golden, drain them with a slotted spoon, let them dry on a sheet of towel paper and salt them lightly. Keep them aside.

Heat plenty of lightly salted water in a large pot and when it comes to boil, add the pasta. Cook it for a couple of minutes less than the time indicated on the package, drain it and dress it with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and let it cool.

In the meantime, wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into pieces. Season them with a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped basil leaves. Then add them to the pasta.

Cut the mozzarella cheese into cubes and do the same with the ham. Add the ham, the mozzarella and the fried eggplants to the pasta and stir well to mix all the ingredients perfectly.

Leave the Italian pasta salad to rest in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving.

How to store

You can keep the Italian pasta salad in the refrigerator for 2 days.

How to store

You can add or remove ingredients to the Italian pasta salad according to your taste. Instead of ham you can use, for example, grilled chicken breast or canned tuna. You can add some black olives, or fried zucchini and/or grilled peppers. Instead of fusilli, you can use another type of short pasta, such as penne or bow tie pasta.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.