Weekly Menu Planner Summer Meals, Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Avocado and Sausage, Thyme for Cooking's Menu Mailer, for two.

Tomato, Avocado and Mozzarella Pasta/Grilled Sausages

Cooking time: 25 minutes for menu
Cooking schedule: see below for "menu" instructions

Tomato, Avocado and Mozzarella Pasta with Sausages Time: 25 minutes
This was inspired by a Tomato, Avocado and Mozzarella salad I saw in a Williams-Sonoma cook book. I am always looking for light summer meals, so I added pasta, some chives, basil and a light vinaigrette. To round it out we grilled sausages, sliced them and added them to the pasta. You could also use ham or smoked turkey.

sausages, 8 oz total weight (250 gr)
1 package (ball) mozzarella - cow is okay, buffalo is better
1/2 -3/4 cup cherry tomatoes Or 2 medium tomatoes I put the 2 medium on the shopping list
1 avocado
3 tbs fresh, snipped basil (1/4 cup), leave small leaves whole
2 tbs fresh, snipped chives
1 1/4 cups pasta (8oz), bite-size - farfalle, penne, etc.
1 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar
2 tbs olive oil - good stuff

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cook sausages on barbecue grill for 8 - 12 minutes or until done OR pan fry for same amount of time, until done. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Cut large tomatoes into thick slices, then quarter the slices. Slice mozzarella into thick slices then in cut in half. Cut avocado in half then each half in slices. Cut sausages into 1 inch slices. Add tomato, mozzarella, sausage and chives to pasta and toss lightly. In a bowl whisk the oil, a little at a time, into the vinegars. Add to pasta, tossing to combine. Arrange avocado slices around the edge of the pasts and top with basil leaves - tearing the larger ones in half. Serve.

Note: You can put the pasta into a salad bowl, then arrange the avocado, or mound it in the center of a large platter, avocado slices around the edge.
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Cooking Schedule: 25 minutes
Assemble all ingredients and utensils
Put water on high heat for pasta
Turn on/light barbecue grill if using
Start to cook sausages
Slice/cut tomatoes
Slice mozzarella
Snip/tear herbs
Mind the sausages
Stand around waiting for the water to boil

Start to cook the pasta
Remove sausages, slice
Make the vinaigrette
Pit and slice avocado
Drain pasta, put into large bowl
Add mozzarella, tomatoes, chives, sausages
Add vinaigrette, toss well
Put pasta into serving dish
Arrange avocado, basil
Serve all, eat

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Thyme for Cooking

Tomato, Avocado and Mozzarella Pasta/Grilled Sausages

Cooking for Two? Or more?
Our Weekly Menu Planner Service gives you healthy, gourmet dinners, carefully planned to eliminate waste and insure a wide variety of seasonal, wholesome foods each week.

Easy Recipes
Great Dinners
We do the planning; You do a bit of cooking

Daily Recipes for the Week

Thyme for Cooking

Tomato, Avocado and Mozzarella Pasta/Grilled Sausages

Cooking for Two? Or more? Our Weekly Menu Planner Service gives you healthy, gourmet dinners, carefully planned to eliminate waste and insure a wide variety of seasonal, wholesome foods each week.

Easy Recipes Great Dinners We do the planning; You do a bit of cooking

Daily Recipes for the Week

Cooking for Two? Or more?
Our Weekly Menu Planner Service gives you healthy, gourmet dinners, carefully planned to eliminate waste and insure a wide variety of seasonal, wholesome foods each week.

Easy Recipes
Great Dinners
We do the planning; You do a bit of cooking