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My mother in law just flew in to see the baby when she is born. She will be here TOMORROW! Kind of freaking out a little bit. I am so exited to meet her! My boys have loved having their grandma here. They said that she gives the best back rubs. It has been so nice to have her around to help me get things ready. I especially loved having an extra hand in the kitchen making this salad and helping me clean up!
We were making a yummy lunch and I have always wanted to make a Caprese Pasta Salad. Caprese is a perfect combination of flavors, textures, and freshness. Ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil. It all went together perfectly in this pasta salad! It was so simple to throw together and I am telling you, it is AWESOME! You will definitely want to make this. It is a perfect side to any summer BBQ and you are going to love it.
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Caprese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta, I used cellentani
- 1 cup small fresh mozzarella balls
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
Basil Pesto:
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup parmesan, grated
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook and drain your pasta according to package directions. Drain with cold water and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, parmesan, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pulse until everything is coarsely chopped and blended together.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine pasta, basil pesto, grape tomatoes, and mozzarella balls. Toss together until it is coated in the basil pesto.
- Serve fresh or refrigerate overnight and serve within 24 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used red wine vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar and added a little Italian seasoning.
this looks great. can I use the blackish balsamic vinegar or does it have to be white?
Hi!
Yes, you can sure use that type of balsamic vinegar. It should taste just great! Thanks for following along with me!!
Hello,
I want to make this salad but I have a couple of questions. 1. Can I make it the night before or is it best made closer to serving time? 2. The only Cellentani pasta I could find came in a 1 lb. box – does the recipe really only call for 8 oz of pasta? Thanks in advance for your help! Can’t wait to try the Caprese Pasta Salad – it looks wonderful!
I’ve made this before but used lemon juice instead of balsamic. Everyone loved it. Think I’ll try the balsamic next time. Sure does use a LOT of basil. YUM!!
MMM Lemon juice sounds good too!! I like your combination! Thanks for sharing!!
I made this tonight and it came out delicious!!! I did tweek the recipe some though instead of olive oil I used Italian dressing, and before serving I topped it off with parmesan cheese, it was absolutely scrumptious!!!
Made this and it’s good however, here is my input for what it’s worth. One clove of garlic completely takes over the whole dish. I would just add a pinch of garlic or at least a very small clove. All I taste is the garlic, I don’t get the basil or any of the other flavors. Otherwise it’s pretty good.
Super yum. Made this tonight. I used penne which also worked well. A large clove of garlic is important. 🙂
This looks amaaaaazing, Alyssa! One question–when does the white balsamic go in?
Thanks so much!
Dacia
I am going to make this! Sounds terrific! Only one question…when do you add vinegar?
I’m assuming the white balsamic goes in the food processor with everything else yet its not in the directions.
Yes I will fix that! Thanks!
You know I really have never tried to make homemade pasta salad as I have never been a fan of the store bought stuff but this recipe makes me want to try it!
Oh my goodness Shae!…. Home made pasta salad is NOTHING like store bought!!! Home made is heavenly!!! I agree with you… Store bought gets two thumbs down!
Umm, I need a bucket full of this! It looks unbelievable!
This looks so good
This looks great. I’m growing both basil and tomatoes so I’ll be making a lot of caprese recipes this summer. Can’t wait to see pics of your baby.
Mmmm I love a good pasta salad, especially for a barbecue. This looks and sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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