Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad captures all the flavors you love in a Caprese Salad in pasta salad form! This dish is bursting with flavor and freshness and is hearty enough to be served as a main course, but also makes a wonderful addition to a barbecue or potluck. 

This pasta salad shines with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, and a Homemade Balsamic vinaigrette. And while that alone is enough to be delicious, with the addition of chicken sausage, this side dish can become a fabulous main dish.  

There are few combinations that are better than juicy summer tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese.

I look forward to farm-fresh tomatoes all year long so that I can make simple dishes like Caprese Salad,  Caprese Quinoa, or Tomato Mozzarella Pizza. It is such a simple classic combination that truly is magical--a lot like the pairing of peanut butter and chocolate.

And those classic flavors inspired this Caprese Pasta Salad. 

This pasta salad shines with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, and a Homemade Balsamic vinaigrette. And while that alone is enough to be delicious, with the addition of chicken sausage, this side dish can become a fabulous main dish.  

Key Ingredients

• Tomatoes: Cherry or Grape tomatoes are best, as they are delicious year-round, and the perfect size for pasta salad. If using Roma or vine-ripened tomatoes, be sure to seed vine-ripened tomatoes before adding to the salad, to keep the salad from becoming soggy or watered down. 
• Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella is best, but you could also use shredded mozzarella if that is all you have on hand. I prefer the tiny balls of fresh mozzarella for presentation, but you can dice up a large ball of fresh mozzarella as well. 
• Basil: While basil is traditional in Caprese recipes, if your family is not a fan of basil, you can omit and still have a delicious dish. 
• Pasta: When making a pasta salad, you want to think about choosing a type of noodle that is easy to grab with a fork, and has a large enough surface area to grab and hold onto the dressing--like bow tie, rotini, cavatelli, or corkscrew pasta. You can use whole grain, whole wheat, veggie, or white durum varieties for pasta salads. I always opt for a whole grain pasta noodle when I can, for added nutrients and additional fiber and protein, making the glycemic load of pasta much less than white pasta.
• Balsamic Dressing: A lot of people are a bit afraid to make homemade salad dressing, but there really is not a more simple thing to make than homemade vinaigrette. For this balsamic dressing, whisk together olive oil, quality balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and dried oregano--that is all there is to it. Of course, you can use your favorite store-bought dressing, but homemade is always best. 
• Chicken Sausage (optional): I love adding al fresco's Sun-Dried Tomato chicken sausage to this pasta salad. The sausage is full of basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes, which lend themselves beautifully to the flavors in this pasta salad. It also makes this dish hearty enough for a complete meal.

How To Make Caprese Pasta Salad

For this Caprese Pasta Salad, it takes me about 20 minutes start to finish to prep. While the noodles cook, I grill or pan fry the chicken sausage, make the dressing, and chop the basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Then it is as easy as mixing everything together.

But let me give you a few KEY pointers to help you make the BEST Caprese Salad. 

• Cook the noodles according to package directions in super salty water. The salt will help to flavor the pasta--it is your only chance!
• Do NOT rinse the cooked pasta. This removes all the starch that helps the dressing stick to the pasta, not to mention the flavor of the pasta.
• Add dressing in stages to the salad. After the pasta is cooked and drained, toss the noodles with ¼ cup of the dressing. This will help the noodles to not stick together as they cool. Once fully cooled, add the remaining dressing. If after refrigerating the pasta salad seems dry, add up to 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss before serving. 
• Cut everything into bite-size pieces. It is best that the tomatoes, cheese, and sausage are no larger than the noodles. Think of being able to grab each ingredient easily with a fork and fit into your mouth with ease. I recommend cutting cherry or grape tomatoes in half, cutting fresh mozzarella balls into small chunks, and if using, cut the sausage in ½ inch slices.
• Chiffonade the basil. Basil is delicate and if you chop the basil it can bruise and turn brown quickly. Instead, chiffonade your basil by stacking up the leaves and rolling into a log shape and then slice lengthwise, forming ribbons when unrolled. 

That's it--easy peasy! But super delicious! You can enjoy this Caprese Pasta Salad warm or chilled, as a side, or as a main course. 

More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes

• Asian Noodle Salad
• Antipasto Pasta Salad
• BLT Pasta Salad

Whether looking for a hearty summer entree, a stunning pot-luck dish to share, or side dish for your next barbecue, I hope you give this Caprese Pasta Salad a try! Let me know in the comments how much you enjoyed!

Caprese Pasta Salad

Pasta is tossed with a homemade balsamic dressing, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage for a delicious and healthy pasta salad recipe that is fit for a main course or a hearty side. 

4.84 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

For the Caprese Pasta Salad

• ▢ 16 ounces pasta bow-tie, rotini, corkscrew, etc
• ▢ 1 pint cherry tomatoes or 2 cups diced, seeded tomatoes
• ▢ 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls
• ▢ 8 basil leaves chiffonade
• ▢ 12 ounces al fresco all natural Sun Dried Tomato Chicken sausage optional

For the Balsamic Dressing

• ▢ ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
• ▢ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano

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Instructions

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• Whisk together all the ingredients for the balsamic dressing until well combined.

For the Pasta Salad

• Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. 
• While the pasta is cooking, grill the chicken sausage links over medium-high heat for 6 minutes. Or pan-fry the sausage, by adding1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium skillet. Place sausages in skillet and heat on medium high about 7-9 minutes, turning frequently.
• While pasta and sausage are cooking, slice the tomatoes and basil and mozzarella if not in small balls. Once the sausage is done cooking, slice the sausage into ½ inch chunks. 
• Once the pasta is cooked, drain but do not rinse. Toss the drained noodles with ¼ cup of the balsamic dressing and let cool for 10 minutes.
• After the pasta has cooled, add the remaining dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella, sausage, and basil. Toss well and serve warm or refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving.  

Notes

• If you feel your pasta salad is dry, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil before serving.
• Fresh mozzarella is best, but you could also use shredded mozzarella if that is all you have on hand. 
• If using Roma or vine-ripened tomatoes, be sure to seed vine-ripened tomatoes before adding to the salad. 
• Feel free to omit the chicken sausage if you need a vegetarian pasta salad. If you are not vegetarian, I highly suggest adding the alfresco All Natural Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage, it adds IMMENSE flavor and compliments the Caprese pasta perfectly. 
• While basil is traditional in Caprese recipes, if your family is not a fan of basil, you can omit and still have a delicious dish. 
• To chiffonade basil: stack up the leaves of basil and then roll them up and slice into ribbons.
• Caprese Pasta Salad can be stored safely for 3 days in your refrigerator. It can not be frozen.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 609mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 435IU | Vitamin C: 9.4mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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This post was originally published in 2018 but was updated in 2020 with new tips.