Caprese Pasta Salad

Close up of bowl of pasta salad with tomatoes and basil.

4.91 from 10 votes

Caprese Pasta Salad features fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, vibrant basil, and a delicious homemade balsamic dressing.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

For the Caprese Pasta Salad

16 ounces pasta bow-tie, rotini, corkscrew, etc
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls
8 basil leaves sliced into ribbons

For the Balsamic Dressing

⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon molasses

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Salt well and cook the pasta according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing by whisking together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, molasses, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic together until well combined.
Once the noodles are cooked, drain but do not rinse the pasta, Toss the drained noodles with half of the prepared dressing in a large mixing bowl. Allow the noodles to cool at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, until they are just slightly warm or at room temperature. Speed up the process, by spreading the pasta out onto a sheet pan.
Once the pasta is at room temperature or just slightly warm to the touch, return the noodles to the large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, and toss to combine.
Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. Once chilled, toss the pasta salad again and serve.

Notes

Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella is best. Use mozzarella pearls (small balls) or dice up the mozzarella into bite-size pieces. If you don't have fresh mozzarella, cubed or shredded mozzarella will work.

Basil: To chiffonade the basil, stack up the leaves of basil and then roll them up and slice them into ribbons.

Tomatoes: If using Roma or vine-ripened tomatoes, be sure to remove the seeds and chop them into bite-sized pieces before adding them to the pasta salad.

Storage: Store any leftover Caprese Pasta Salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Dried Out Pasta Salad: After refrigerating your pasta salad, if you feel it has become dried-out, add ½ tablespoon each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss again.

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