Caprese Pasta Salad—Fresh and Easy

Caprese pasta salad is a light Italian fresh cold salad that makes a perfect side dish or a light meal or take it to a picnic, potluck, or a quick dinner. Easy to make with these simple step-by-step photo instructions.

Jump To:

• 📋Ingredients
• 👨‍🍳How to make this Caprese Pasta Salad
• ❄️Storage
• ❓FAQs
• 📖Summer Salad Recipes
• 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
• 📝Recipe

Caprese Pasta Salad is a traditional Italian dish with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, pasta, and olive oil or Italian dressing. Fresh cherry tomatoes are commonly added for color and taste. It is a light dish that screams summer.

This half-size recipe is a more reasonable size but still makes a large amount. You can cut it in half again for only 6 servings, but you will end up wasting some ingredients.

It stores well for only a few days but no longer. So not very "cooking for two" friendly for everyday use. So a special occasion dish for a large family get-together, a dish to pass, or pot lucks.

📋Ingredients

• Pasta – a short pasta is like the mini penne, elbow macaroni, or rotini pasta. Gluten-free pasta can also be used. Cook per the instructions to Al Dente. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking, then toss with a few teaspoons of oil to stop cooking.
• Vegetables - juicy tomatoes are the feature of the salad; use cherry tomatoes cut in half. Other vegetables like bell pepper, cucumber, olives, asparagus, or squash could be added.
• Cheese - fresh mozzarella cheese, do not substitute. Use mozzarella balls or pearls. You can also chop larger pieces into bite-size bits.
• Seasoning - fresh garlic and fresh basil
• Dressing - just good extra virgin olive oil is suggested. Possible substitutes are Italian dressing, vinaigrette dressings, balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
• Other add-ins - diced or shredded chicken will make it a complete meal. Other good options would be ham or pepperoni.

👨‍🍳How to make this Caprese Pasta Salad

1. Cut about 1 pound of cherry or grape tomatoes in half.
2. In a large serving bowl, add tomatoes, crushed garlic, olive oil, Kosher salt, crushed red pepper (optional), and black pepper mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook 8 oz of pasta according to package instructions for Al Dente. When done, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Then, toss with a few teaspoons of olive oil to prevent sticking.
4. Chop fresh basil. Chop fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces if needed.
5. Add the pasta, the mozzarella, and the basil to the tomatoes and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to let flavors blend if you have time.

❄️Storage

Store leftovers covered airtight in the refrigerator. If you store it for a day, toss before serving and taste test, and add more oil and salt/pepper if needed. But two days is pushing it.

❓FAQs

📖Summer Salad Recipes

Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Homemade Macaroni Salad

Broccoli Slaw

Fresh Spinach Salad; A Summer Favorite

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Use the freshest ingredients you can get.

Start by cutting about 1 pound of cherry or grape tomatoes in half.

In a large serving bowl, add tomatoes along with 2-3 cloves crushed garlic, ¼ cup good olive oil, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, a pinch of red pepper (optional), and black pepper to taste (about ¼ teaspoon to start) mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Use mini penne or other smaller pasta. Cook 8 oz of pasta according to package instructions for Al Dente. When done, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Then, toss with a few teaspoons of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Chop 8 oz of fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces.

Chop 10 leaves of fresh basil.

Add the pasta, the mozzarella, and the basil to the tomatoes and mix well. Refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for a few hours to let flavors blend if you have time.

📝Recipe

Originally Published August 10, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.