Caprese Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Caprese Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette is the pinnacle of all pasta salads! With classic Caprese ingredients and a simple balsamic dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a crowd favorite at your summer get-together.

Ingredients for Caprese Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

• Bow tie pasta: Penne, ditalini, or shells would be great for this recipe too.
• Cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella pearls, and fresh basil: All the elements for a delicious Caprese salad! You can’t sub any of these out or it isn’t a Caprese salad anymore, haha.
• Salt and pepper: It’s important to season your Caprese salad with salt and pepper to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes, cheese, and basil.
• Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning: All the makings of the most delicious and simple balsamic vinaigrette!

How to Make Caprese Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

First, boil your pasta according to the package instructions. Rinse the pasta in cold water immediately after it is done cooking to cool it down. I like to use this over the sink strainer rinse. Running your pasta under cold water helps it not to overcook. I like to make sure that the pasta is totally cool before I add the other ingredients so I don’t have to chill it in the fridge for hours before I want to serve it.

Add the cooled pasta to a big bowl along with all of the other ingredients.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl first, before adding it to a big bowl with all of the other ingredients. Whisking it together first helps to distribute all of the ingredients and seasonings evenly throughout the pasta salad.

Once you’re done preparing this salad, store in the fridge if you’re not serving it immediately. During the summer, pasta salad can spoil pretty quickly, especially if it has dairy and other perishable ingredients.

Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes

I love pasta salad, and I have so many delicious recipes on my blog. Try any of these next time!

Orzo Feta Pasta Salad

BLT Pasta Salad

Street Corn Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad

Recipe by Julia Pacheco

Recipe rating: 5.0 from 3 votes

Course: SidesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-5

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

With classic Caprese ingredients and a simple balsamic dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a crowd favorite at your summer get-together.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• Pasta salad

• 1/2 lb bow tie pasta (or any other shaped pasta)

• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced

• 8 oz package mozzarella pearls

• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• Dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions

• Cook the pasta according to the box instructions. Once the pasta is cooked, strain it over the sink and rinse it super well with cold water to let it completely cool down. Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl. Add the remaining pasta salad ingredients and stir well. Set to the side.
• To make the dressing, add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, then whisk together. Top the pasta salad with the dressing and stir well to coat evenly. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!

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