Caprese Pasta Salad

This caprese pasta salad came about for a couple of reasons. First, I LOVE a good caprese salad! And second, I’m not a big fan of traditional pasta salad. So I thought, why not make a pasta salad that has all the flavors of my favorite type of salad?! Well, this caprese pasta salad does not disappoint! It has all the amazing flavors that you’d expect in a caprese salad but it’s a lot easier to throw together and transport to a friend’s house!

I use bowtie pasta for this salad but you can use any type of pasta you’d like. I just think the bowties are adorable…and my daughter always picks them out at the grocery store. 🙂 And while the pasta is cooking you can go ahead and slice your tomatoes and dice the cheese to save a little time. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drained, and rinsed you can just add everything in the bowl and toss it together and you’re done!

Caprese Pasta Salad

Coco and Ash

All the flavors of a traditional caprese salad brought together in a hearty pasta salad!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 11 minutes mins

Total Time 21 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 16 ounce box of pasta (I like to use bowties)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (cut into 1/4 inch slices)
• 8 ounce mozzarella cheese ball (not shredded) (sliced into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1/4 cup store-bought pesto
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt (plus more for salting the pasta water)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions

 

• Fill a large pot with water and 1 tbsp of salt and boil your pasta according to the package directions. 
• While the pasta is cooking, slice your tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices and cut your mozzarella into 1/2 inch cubes. These sizes are just my preference so if you like them smaller or bigger, go for it! 
• Once your pasta is done, drain it and rinse it with cold water. You do NOT want your mozzarella to get melty. 
• Add your cooled pasta to a mixing bowl along with the tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, balsamic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
• Toss together and either serve at room temperature or refrigerated. 

Notes

(Recipe adapted from Pip and Ebby)

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