Mini Farfalle Caprese Pasta
the start to our tiny pasta series along with a brain glitch
Hey friends. This week we’re kicking off a Tiny Pasta Series (how cute) with a recipe for Caprese Style Pasta using mini farfalle. It’s insanely good. Before I get into that, I’ll be recapping our weekend and telling you an embarrassing story because what else am I good for.
It’s the Perfect Day
This recap is as if someone asked me to describe my perfect day. First order of business - have a friend you haven’t seen in a while come to visit so you have a lottt to yap about. Ours was
, get your own!! Then proceed to get iced coffees, go for a picturesque walk where you see horses and a body of water (thank you Caumsett), make a smoothie, play tennis, get vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles (thank you CARVEL), get served a piña colada (thank you Dad), go out for a few drinks, and then finish the night eating pizza at Little V’s.There was one hiccup in the day and it occurred at the local tennis courts. A massive group of ten year old boys pulled up to the courts at the exact same time as us. That’s already frightening. To make matters worse, they were carrying a huge construction sign that said “ROAD CLOSED.” They proceeded to have a photo shoot with the sign and then started playing football on the court right next to ours. Then a VERY old man came next to us and when his partner asked him about the score he yelled “what does it matter, I’m gonna die soon anyway.” It was difficult to play tennis in these conditions so we called it early and headed straight to Carvel, which no one was that mad about.
The Carvel in Huntington has vanilla Oatly soft serve, which was a game changing discovery since we thought all of them only carried strawberry. I have not stopped thinking about this cone since we got it. Loving two of the world’s most basic things, pizza and ice cream, has suddenly become my entire personality. And that’s on regressing.
“That was bad”
Another point on regression. Do you ever have those moments in life where you become a glitch in the matrix? This happened to me over the weekend when my brain malfunctioned BAD. I was at a bar, attempting to order a drink when it happened. There was a sign with three different drinks, all containing lavender and lemon. The combo sounded elite to me so I picked one of the three and called the bartender over. I then proceeded to say “Lemonder” four times in a row instead of lavender lemonade. Please say it to yourself so you realize how many times FOUR is.
The only word that would leave my mouth was “Lemonder” to the point where everyone around me was starting to get second hand embarrassment. It got so awkward that the bartender ended up picking up the sign and saying, “just point to it.” There was a random person next to me who I made eye contact with, which I guess was an invitation for him to say, “that was bad.”
In order to process the embarrassment, I told everyone I knew what happened - so many times that I brought down the vibe. Home I go!
Now every time I screw up a word or sentence (which is often) I just say lemonder and giggle to myself. I mean we’re all just on a floating rock in space… it’s NOT THAT SERIOUS.
Tiny Pasta Series
We LOVE tiny pasta. We were born with a pastina obsession (my Italian people know what I’m talking about). Pastina cures everything and is the go-to comfort meal. While pastina will forever be our first tiny pasta love, there are many more to discover!!
This Caprese style pasta uses mini farfalle - pretty freakin cute. The pasta has sun-dried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, a touch of balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil for Caprese vibes. It’s surprisingly easy to throw together but makes for an impressive looking dish. We’re obsessed with cooking pasta right in the sauce (no separate pot) because we’re lazy AND because all the starchiness from the pasta water thickens the sauce and makes it clingy af. Not an admirable trait in a relationship, but for pasta it is a CATCH.
You could add peas and spinach right at the end to up the protein or you could serve it with tofu, soy curls, chicken… you get the idea.
We’re doing a full tiny pasta series (yes one of them is garlic knot themed!) The first one is right here, right now but the rest will be on our socials (insta & tiktok) so follow along there!
Mini Farfalle Caprese Pasta
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons vegan butter (we used Miyokos)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 cup vegan mozzarella shreds (we used Violife)
1 pound mini farfalle pasta
5 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Grated parmesan
Basil, torn
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Cook sun-dried tomatoes and garlic: In a skillet on medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the sun dried tomatoes. After one or two minutes, add the garlic, butter, oregano, and chili flakes.
Caramelize the tomato paste: Once the garlic is fragrant, add the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the coconut cream, cheese, and pasta: Add the coconut cream and mozzarella cheese until the cheese melts. Stir in the dried pasta and mix it so its coated in the sauce. Let it toast for a minute.
Add broth and cook the pasta: Add vegetable broth - the pasta should be just submerged. Simmer uncovered on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Season and serve: Remove the pasta from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar, your desired amount of parmesan, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Option to truly serve by adding a drizzle of coconut cream like we did in the photos!