Tomatoes, basil and garlic quickly come together to top this Fresh Tomato Salsa Pasta dish. We paired it with an Italian Rosato from the Piedmont region of Italy, as part of the Italian Food, Wine and Travel focus on rosé wine from Italy.
Summer time, and the cooking is supposed to be easy, right? Well, I don’t always follow that concept, but it definitely applies to this super simple Fresh Tomato Salsa Pasta recipe!
This recipe was inspired by two factors. First, I had picked out a bottle 2015 Franco Serra Piemonte Rosato for the Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) event focused on Italian rosé. The wine is mostly Barbera, which tends to have good acidity. I wasn’t sure how much acidity there would be in a rosé made with Barbera, but figured it would be a good idea to pair the wine with tomatoes in some form.
The other inspiration for our Fresh Tomato Salsa Pasta was that I was fixing it the night before heading out of town for a week. The cooking needed to be simple, followed by some quick photos before digging into the dish.
It doesn’t get much simpler then combining some summer fresh tomatoes with basil, garlic and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. I know salsa isn’t an Italian term, but it seemed like a better word for capturing the quick and flavorful preparation of fresh tomatoes here than “sauce”.
Make this fresh tomato salsa as you cook up some pasta. Toss the pasta with some olive oil and cheese, then top the pasta with the salsa. Note topping each plate of pasta with the salsa rather than mixing the salsa in with the cooked pasta in the pot prevents the tomatoes from cooking. This helps provide a refreshing taste.
Wine Pairing for Fresh Tomato Salsa Pasta
I don’t believe I’ve had a rosé made from Barbera grapes before, so was curious to try the 2015 Franco Serra Piemonte Rosato ($12, 12% ABV). It has a duskier nose than a typical rosé–an earthy aroma as opposed to floral. Taste of strawberry, but also notable acidity. This is a full bodied rosé, drinks more like a red in a way. The wine is made from 95% Barbera grapes, 5% Dolcetto, making good use of two common grapes from Northwestern Italy’s Piemonte region.
This Rosato worked OK with the Fresh Tomato Salsa Pasta, but might have been even better with a cooked tomato meat sauce. I’m thinking a crisp Italian white wine might be a better partner for this pasta dish. The Franco Serra Rosato is definitely a good quality wine; our pasta dish just didn’t turn out to be an optimal pairing for it.
In addition to the pasta, we also were eating a bit of grilled salmon with this Rosato. I actually liked the combination of the salmon and Rosato better than the pasta pairing, even though I didn’t intend to put the fish and Rosato together. Chalk one up for experimentation!
If you’re looking for another Italian rosato, I really enjoyed the Otella Rosesroses that I paired with Grilled Halibut and Parsley Pesto for a past #ItalianFWT event.
PrintFresh Tomato Salsa Pasta
Fresh tomato salsa with garlic and basil makes for a quick summer pasta dish.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced
- handful of basil, julienned (cut into thin strips)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese
- 12 ozs linguine or other pasta
Instructions
- Begin cooking the pasta according to package instructions.
- Make the salsa: combine the diced tomato, basil, garlic and olive oil in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while the pasta finishes cooking.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta. Toss immediately with the remaining tablespoon olive oil and the Parmigiano cheese.
- Plate a portion of the pasta, topped with a few scoops of the tomato salsa. Repeat for the other servings, and enjoy with a good Italian white or rosato wine.
#ItalianFWT Finds and Ideas
Join our Italian blogging group this Saturday, August 6 at 11 am EDT on Twitter at #ItalianFWT to chat about Rosato wines from Italy.
Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla paired Pizza con Patate + Cantina Zaccagnini Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Rosé
Orna at Traveling Italy posted In the Pink: Rosato wines from Puglia
Christy at Confessions of a Culinary Diva shared Summer Sipping with Italian Rosés
Jennifer at Vino Travels went Around Italy with a Glass of Rosé
Jill at L’Occasion shared Rosé or Rosato? Is There a Difference?
Jeff at FoodWineClick mused Rosato: A Rosé by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
David at Cooking Chat paired Fresh Tomato Salsa Pasta with an Italian Rosato (you are here!)
Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog had a #SundayFunday With Tormaresca Calafuria Rosé #ItalianFWT
Li at The Wining Hour shared There’s Rosé Under the Tuscan Sun too!
What a nice, quick but fresh summer meal. Looks perfect for one of those humid evenings!
Exactly!
This looks like a fabulous Summer dinner, David. I will have to hunt down a bottle…and pair it with a cooked tomato sauce. 😉
sounds like a good plan, Camilla!
Don’t you love it when you stumble across a food and wine pairing that works. I’ve had rose with grilled salmon many time and enjoyed it. It’s usually with a fuller bodied rose though. Sounds like that was your experience as well. One of the things I enjoy about rosé is that it comes in my weight. Thus, making it even more versatile across a range of foods. Cheers!
Definitely love finds like these! I’m just starting to get a better appreciation for the range of roses out there.
Ohhh, love barbera but a barbera rosè? Fun! A perfect easy summer dish too.