Taste of Tuesday -- Warm Pasta Salad

On Sunday I came up with a wonderful creation, thanks to a little help from my Dad. I wanted to do a vegetarian dish, but something hearty and filling. It was a warm day, so I didn't want something hot, and I wanted fresh flavors. This ended up being perfect. I served it with a very flavorful salmon and some melon. Here's the recipe (will feed 4-6 people):

Cook 12 ounces of pasta -- I recommend penne, farfale, or something similar.
Broil 4 cups of diced bread, a nice loaf of paesano, french bread, Italian, sourdough, or whatever you like.

While these two things are going, assemble the following in a large pasta bowl:

2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (preferably straight from the garden. I used Roma and yellow pear.)
3 cups fresh torn spinach (washed and dried)
1 cup fresh mozzarella, diced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

After the pasta is finished cooking, drain it, but don't rinse it. Pour the hot pasta over the ingredients in your salad. Toss with 1/3 C olive oil, 1/3 C Parmesan cheese, ground pepper, and sea salt. Then toss in the toasted bread chunks. Top with a bit of fresh lemon zest if you like, and serve immediately. The mozzarella melts and becomes gooey without becoming clumpy, the spinach wilts just a bit, and the tomatoes cook ever so slightly. The result is absolutely delicious.
It makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Try it!