Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe – Love and Lemons

This Caprese pasta salad recipe is ideal for summer time picnics! It is tremendous brilliant and contemporary, crammed with tomatoes, basil, and a light-weight balsamic dressing.

This Caprese pasta salad recipe is virtually summer time in a bowl! As you possibly can in all probability inform from its title, it’s a scrumptious fusion of two summer time favorites: pasta salad and Italian Caprese salad.

In case you ask me, it’s a match made in heaven. A basic Caprese salad is bursting with contemporary summer time taste, because of the well-known mixture of creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant basil. Nevertheless it isn’t as packable as pasta salad, a staple at picnics and potlucks.

This simple Caprese pasta salad recipe combines one of the best of each. You get all of the contemporary taste of a Caprese salad in a picnic-friendly pasta salad type. And it’s not simply good for picnics and cookouts—I additionally love meal prepping this salad for a contemporary summer time lunch!

Find out how to Make Caprese Pasta Salad

Yow will discover the whole Caprese pasta salad recipe with measurements on the backside of this put up. For now, right here’s a fast overview of the way it goes:

Caprese Pasta Salad Elements

• Unsurprisingly, this Caprese pasta salad begins with tomatoes, basil, and contemporary mozzarella—the star components in a basic Caprese salad. Cherry or grape tomatoes are finest on this salad—they maintain their form and have a scrumptious super-sweet taste. They go effectively with “ciliegine,” or cherry-size, mozzarella balls.
• I additionally use pink onion and pecorino cheese within the salad. They add good savory depth.
• I spherical it out with pasta (after all!). I believe screw-shaped cavatappi are actually enjoyable right here, however one other brief pasta like fusilli or rotini would work effectively too.
• A easy dressing ties all of it all collectively. Made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice, it provides brilliant, tangy taste to the salad.

Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.

To make the salad, begin by cooking the pasta. Two huge ideas right here:

1. Cook dinner the pasta till it’s barely previous al dente. I’ll all the time let you know to cook dinner your pasta simply till al dente whenever you’re making a sizzling pasta dish. However for a chilly pasta salad, it’s higher for the pasta to be just a little softer. That method, it would keep tender as soon as it cools. (Al dente pasta would harden!)
2. After cooking, permit the pasta to chill. In case you toss the recent pasta with the opposite salad components immediately, the contemporary basil and onion will wilt.

Whereas the pasta cools, make the salad dressing. Whisk collectively the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic, grated pecorino, garlic, salt, and pepper in a big bowl.

Subsequent, assemble the salad. Add the cooled pasta and toss to coat within the dressing, then add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pink onion, and basil and toss once more. High with shaved pecorino and gently toss.

Earlier than serving, season to style and garnish with extra basil.

Get pleasure from!

What to Serve with Caprese Pasta Salad

This Caprese pasta salad is a good aspect dish for summer time cookouts and picnics. Serve it with veggie burgers or black bean burgers and different summery sides like grilled corn, potato salad, and coleslaw.

I additionally adore it for lunch. It pairs completely with a aspect of contemporary fruit!

• Tip: Make this a heartier lunch salad by including chickpeas for plant-based protein.

Extra Pasta Salad Recipes to Attempt

In case you love this recipe, attempt considered one of these contemporary pasta salads subsequent:

Caprese Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time: 15 minutes minutes

Whole Time: 30 minutes minutes

Serves 6

This Caprese pasta salad recipe is simple, contemporary, and scrumptious! An ideal summer time aspect dish, it is crammed with cherry tomatoes, basil, creamy mozzarella, and a light-weight balsamic French dressing. Discover make-ahead ideas within the weblog put up above!

Cook dinner ModeForestall your display from going darkish

• Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in line with the package deal directions, cooking till barely previous al dente. Drain, toss with a drizzle of olive oil to stop sticking, and unfold on a big plate or baking sheet to chill.

• In a big bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, grated pecorino, garlic, salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper. Add the cooled pasta and toss to coat, then add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pink onion, and basil and toss once more. Add the shaved pecorino and gently toss.

• Season to style, garnish with extra basil, and serve.