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.
Servings: 12
Calories: 291kcal
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
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