Just in time for 4th of July, my easy Caprese Pasta Salad is the perfect dish for all of your summer potlucks and get togethers. It’s so easy to make, and the flavors are just spot on.
Everyone always gets drawn to a good pasta salad. Even beyond social events, we like to keep a big batch in the fridge for quick lunches and easy snacks.
Our Antipasto Pasta Salad and Rainbow Pasta Salad make frequent visits to our fridge, and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad always receives recipe requests.
Today’s recipe is one of the simplest pasta salads you could ever make, but it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Ingredients Needed
Dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil – The base of the dressing. Nowadays there are a variety of types in the grocery store, I like a bold, richly flavored oil for this salad.
- Balsamic vinegar – For that classic caprese flavor.
- Lemon juice – To give the dressing a little tang. Please use freshly squeezed juice.
- Garlic – Just a little.
- Italian seasoning – To amp up the flavors.
- Crushed red pepper – For a touch of heat.
- Salt and pepper – To taste, as always.
Pasta salad
- Pasta – A short shape is ideal. My favorite for this salad is bowtie, followed by rotini.
- Cherry tomatoes – Halved.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls – If your grocery store does not carry them, you can dice up fresh mozzarella balls.
- Fresh basil – It’s a must, don’t use dried here.
- Balsamic glaze – To drizzle on the salad before serving. If you don’t have it, you can simmer regular balsamic vinegar in a pan for 10-15 minutes until it reduces by half.
Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
First, I get the pasta water boiling, adding about 1 tablespoon of salt per 4 quarts of water. I add the pasta and cook it to slightly more than al dente, then drain in a colander and rinse it with cold water.
While the pasta is cooking, I whisk together the dressing in a bowl, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the basil.
Once the pasta is done, I toss it with the dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil. I cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving. Usually, I make it a day in advance to let the flavors mingle together. When ready to serve, I give it a drizzle of balsamic glaze to finish things off.
A Few Tips and Notes
- Good extra virgin olive oil is key. Don’t even think of replacing it with any other type of oil.
- Cook the pasta until it’s a bit softer than al dente. Since it gets rinsed with cold water, it will not continue cooking.
- This recipe scales very well. If you’re serving a big crowd, just double all the amounts.
Serving Suggestions
Caprese pasta salad is the ideal side dish for all of your summer grilling favorites. Think Grilled Chicken Thighs, Grilled Flank Steak or grilled Sausage and Peppers.
Other great pairings are Chicken Wings, Big Mac Tacos, Shrimp Foil Packs or Country Style Beef Ribs.
Whip up a big batch of my Caprese Pasta Salad, it may be the new star of your cookout spread.
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Caprese Pasta Salad, in our Gypsy Bowl… enjoy!
More great cookout side dishes:
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Fried Green Tomatoes
Three Bean Salad
Watermelon Salad
Cowboy Caviar
Maque Choux
Caprese Pasta Salad
My easy Caprese Pasta Salad is a great contender for all your summer cookouts and get-togethers.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Salad
- 8oz pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8oz fresh mozzarella pearls
- ¼ cup fresh basil, sliced
- balsamic glaze, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add pasta until it is cooked tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- While the pasta is cooking, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
- Toss pasta with prepared dressing in a large bowl and stir in halved cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil.
- Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Drizzle on balsamic glaze before serving.
Notes
- This pasta salad is a great make ahead dish. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. The pasta may absorb some of the dressing, so you may wish to stir in a little additional olive oil before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 214Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 18mgSodium 223mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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