summery salad with sardines.

Summery Sardine Mozzarella Pasta

A sunshine-filled pasta dish with caramelised tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and salty olives, now with protein-rich sardines for a richer flavour and even more omega-3 goodness. Great warm or cold.

Ingredients:

• 150g dry pasta (fusilli, penne, or orzo all work)

• 1 tin sardines in olive oil (about 120–130g drained weight) – boneless if preferred

• 250g cherry tomatoes

• Large handful Kalamata olives, halved

• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced or diced

• Handful fresh basil

• 2 tsp oil from sundried tomatoes + 4 sundried tomatoes, diced

• 6 mini mozzarella balls per person (or 1 regular mozzarella torn)

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• Optional: zest of 1/2 lemon, handful of rocket or parsley to finish
  
  

Method:

1. Thinly slice the red onion and soak in a small bowl of cold water to mellow the flavour. Halve the olives. Dice the sundried tomatoes.
   
   

2. In a frying pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil (or use some from the sardines or sundried tomatoes). Toss in cherry tomatoes and the sliced garlic. Cook for ~5 mins, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes blister and start to char. Add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and let it sizzle and reduce slightly to coat the tomatoes.
   
   

3. Boil pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve a small cup of pasta water before draining.
   
   

4. In a large bowl, add drained hot pasta, followed quickly by basil (to wilt slightly) and drained red onion. Add in the olives, diced sundried tomatoes and their oil, and the pan-fried tomatoes. Gently break up the sardines and fold them in carefully — don’t over-mix to preserve their texture. Add a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen everything up.
   
   

5. Serve warm or room temperature with torn mozzarella on top, fresh basil or rocket, and a touch of lemon zest or black pepper if you like.

Gut Health Benefits:

Sardines contain omega-3s help keep your gut environment calm and supported, which in turn can benefit everything from digestion to how your skin looks. They’re also a great source of nutrients like zinc and protein, which play a role in collagen production which is essential for the skin. Paired with basil, which has natural compounds that support a balanced gut microbiome, this dish is doing a lot more than just tasting good.