One of my hot-weather dinner ploys involves getting up early and cooking part of dinner—beans or pasta for salads, boiled eggs or salt potatoes, or meatloaf for sandwiches—before the day heats up.
But early morning hours are also my most productive writing times. Especially in the summer when my kids are home. Not that they’re toddlers requiring hands-on attention. But having inert teenagers hanging around the house—with my home office a few feet away—drives me to distraction.
So if I’m busy with copy projects, I sometimes miss my window for morning cooking.
That’s when a recipe like Marinated Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad comes in handy. You can throw it together in one minute flat without cooking a thing. Add bread, olives and a green salad if you want to be healthy. Or forget about being healthy and just fix yourself a pinot grigio spritzer.
Dinner.
If you can get your hands on bocconcini—“little mouthfuls” of mozzarella available at Italian delis or Trader Joe’s, so much the better. Otherwise, use plain old mozzarella cut in cubes. Monterey Jack also works.
Marinated Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
1 pound bocconcini or fresh mozzarella
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
- If using whole mozzarella, cut into 1” cubes.
- Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into slivers.
- Combine the cheese, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Let the salad marinate for at least an hour. Serve with country-style Italian bread.
Serves 8.
I definitely would love this recipe, cause its more on mozzarella cheese.
Hi Lovely: I think you’ll find the intensely flavored sun-dried tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil make the perfect foil for mozzarella.
Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for! I tried something like this at our local food co-op, and have been hunting for a recipe for it.