Are you a lover of caprese salad? If so you have to try my quick and easy caprese pasta salad. All your favorite flavors of tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, pasta, and an Italian dressing and Balsamic glaze. A must make this spring and summer.
Potluck events just got a whole lot tastier with this pasta salad. A fun twist to a classic pasta salad that will leave guests begging for the recipe.
This Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe Is…
- Made with simple ingredients
- Fresh crisp veggies
- Can be made with gluten free pasta
- Great make-ahead pasta salad
Ingredients You Will Need For Recipe
- Pasta – You can use any small pasta. From rotini, cellentani, farfalle, penne, shells, elbow, etc.)
- Mozzarella Pearls – Make sure to drain the pearls. If you can’t find these, then just buy a block of mozzarella and dice it up.
- Italian Dressing
- Grape Tomatoes – Fresh and ripe will give the best flavor.
- Salt and Pepper
- Basil – Fresh is best and then finely chop.
- Balsamic Glaze – This is drizzled on top, and it truly elevates the flavor of the pasta dish.
How to Make
Full directions for the caprese salad are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a visual walk through on how the recipe is made.
Start by cooking your pasta as directed on the box. Once the pasta is done, drain and rinse in cold water to cool down the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking you will add the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl. Leave out the basil until you are ready to serve.
Mix up once you add the cold pasta, and then right before serving toss in chopped basil.
Make Pasta Salad In Advance
Go right ahead and make this 24 hours in advance of when you want to serve it up. Then right before mix in the chopped basil. It is so refreshing and the Italian dressing soaking with the pasta overnight truly will add so much more flavor to the dish.
Storing Leftovers
If you happen to not eat all of the pasta salad, just store in a sealed container in the fridge. Then give it a toss and dish up when you want more. This caprese salad with pasta will store for 3-4 days when stored properly. The basil will go bad first in the salad.
Does This Recipe Double In Size
Yes it does. Feel free to make a double batch. Just make sure you use a large enough bowl to mix up and store all the pasta and ingredients. This is such a great party side dish as it serves a nice size crowd.
More Pasta Salad Ideas
Caprese Pasta Salad
Caprese Pasta Salad is a delicious and satisfying pasta salad loaded with diced tomatoes, mozzarella balls, basil, Italian dressing and a balsamic glaze. Give this easy pasta dish a try.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Small pasta, cooked (Penne, Farfalle, Rotini, or Cellentani)
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
- 3/4 cup Italian dressing
- 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp coarsely ground pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- Balsamic Glaze, to drizzle on top
Instructions
- Cook pasta as directed on the back of the box. Then drain and run pasta under cold water. This will stop the cooking process.
- Combine all ingredients in large salad bowl and gently mix.
- Serve immediately. (Note: to make this recipe ahead of time, mix all ingredients except basil and add herb right before serving.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 368mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g
