An easy Caprese Pasta Salad recipe makes a quick bbq side dish or an appetizer for any party. It's tossed with a simple balsamic and olive oil dressing- it's light and refreshing and loved by both kids and adults!
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Caprese pasta salad is a simple, refreshing summer side or picnic dish. While it can be enjoyed all year, the best time to make fresh caprese salad is when tomatoes are in season during the spring and summer months.
When tomatoes are at their freshest and their garden-sweet aroma fills the air at the farmer's market.
As minimal in ingredients and preparation time as caprese pasta salad is, it's absolutely delicious. It looks bold and bright and tastes crisp and robust.
Ingredients
This caprese pasta salad recipe uses fresh grape tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella pearls, and bow tie pasta.
You can use any other pasta that you have on hand if you don't have bow ties. Short pastas are perfect for pasta salad recipes. While I love these Bel Gioioso fresh mozzarella pearls, you can also slice fresh mozzarella into little cubes.
These classic caprese ingredients are tossed with salt, black pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
While balsamic vinegar is not a traditional caprese ingredient, I use it here to give this recipe a little something more. You can, however, make your caprese pasta salad without the balsamic vinegar if you'd prefer a more classic version.
Step-By-Step Directions
There are are a few ways to make it- with fresh chopped tomatoes, roasted tomatoes or lightly sauteed chopped tomatoes. Cooked tomatoes give the salad just a bit more zest.
- Boil the pasta in salted water for the time indicated on package. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.
- While pasta cooks, slice the tomatoes in half and saute for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, until soft. Skip this step if you prefer uncooked tomatoes.
- Add tomatoes and mozzarella to serving dish with pasta. Toss with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and torn basil.
Serve your delicious caprese pasta salad as an appetizer, a side dish, or a vegetarian lunch or dinner.
Enjoy!
Serving and Storing
This recipe serves 6-8 as an appetizer or side dish. As a full lunch or dinner, it will serve 4 people.
Make it ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight, with the oil, balsamic, and basil kept separate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
If storing in the fridge after the dressing is mixed in, try to enjoy within the next day or so.
Recipe Facts
A traditional caprese pasta salad pairs fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil and drizzles them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sometimes arugula is added to a caprese salad for extra zing.
Classic caprese salad recipes are fresh, delicious, and incredibly simple to prepare. I add balsamic vinegar to this recipe for a bold finishing touch.
Traditional caprese ingredients aren't reserved just for a salad, thought, You can make a chicken caprese for dinner, a grilled caprese sandwich for lunch, and even a caprese Christmas wreath for the holiday season.
Caprese pasta salad pairs well with a simple grilled chicken or fish. Serve it along with hamburgers, turkey burgers, or lamb burgers.
This recipe is best served within a few hours of making. Because it uses balsamic vinegar in addition to the olive oil, the vinegar penetrates the pasta and cheese the longer it sits. To some, this may make the cheese and pasta too "mushy" to enjoy later on.
If you'd like to make it ahead of time, mix the tomatoes, cheese, and pasta together. Leave the basil, oil and vinegar separate and add when ready to serve.
Recipe
Caprese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz short pasta
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup mozzarella pearls or cubes
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in salted water for the time indicated on package. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.
- While pasta cooks, slice the tomatoes in half and saute for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, until soft. Skip this step if you prefer uncooked tomatoes.
- Add tomatoes and mozzarella to serving dish with pasta. Toss with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and torn basil.
Notes
Nutrition
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