Easy Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad

Caprese Pesto Pasta salad is full of bright colours, juicy tomatoes and fragrant basil. Quick and easy to make, using simple ingredients, vegetarian and working as a side or main it's a loaded tomato mozzarella pesto salad with pasta. Hearty with flavour, texture and full of yum, you will love the combination and want to make it again and again. This pesto caprese pasta salad has a lot going on, ensuring maximum flavour with minimal effort!

Recipes like my Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad and the Caprese Bruschetta celebrate the delicious pairing of soft white cheese and tomatoes.

The Cold Stuffed Tomatoes are a 5 min no bake recipe which works as the perfect healthy appetizer 😉👍.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

• Italian origins: this caprese pesto pasta salad recipe honours the much loved and popular caprese salad. An Italian salad from the island of capri.
• Back to basics: this cold pasta salad is a simple combination usually consisting of cherry tomatoes, basil, soft white cheese (mozzarella in the form of bocconcini balls) and often paired with balsamic vinegar or glaze, the combination of flavours is simply heavenly.
• Taste and texture: sometimes you want a light salad and sometimes you want something a little more hearty.
• Protein and carbs: this salad delivers the light bright component and pasta for the satisfyingly well fed component.
• Versatile: the uses for this salad are endless! Serve it at a summer bbq, family gatherings, as a quick lunch, make-ahead salad or light dish alongside a hearty main. It is a flexible salad that lends itself to many serving options.

🥗 Ingredients

The ingredients for this easy pasta salad recipe are simple and easy to find. The photo below is a handy visual guide to refer to when shopping. The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post has exact measurements and detailed instructions.

As you can see, the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we add this to the salt and pepper used to coat the tomatoes and give them a lovely slick seasoning.
• Basil: fragrant and aromatic, this herbs brings a delightful zesty-ness to the salad as well as vibrant green colour.
• Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper. These 2 ingredients help to season the salad. You can choose to serve it with additional cracked pepper.
• Cherry tomatoes: bright red pops of colour and flavour come from these!
• Grape tomatoes: ripe grape tomatoes, burst with juice, they also add another colour and contrast to the other salad ingredients.
• Mozzarella balls (bocconcini balls): also known as mozzarella pearls, these are sold in a small tub with brine. That can be discarded. So drain before use but there is no need to rinse.
• Pesto (store-bought pesto or homemade basil pesto is fine): the cold dip version of basil pesto from the fridge section of the grocery store is a popular choice and so easy. It also has more texture than the jarred on shelf with pastas pesto which I tend to avoid.
• Dried pasta (you can use your favorite): there is a wide variety of pastas that you can use for the recipe. Think bite sized like macaroni, twirls, penne or rigatoni. Stay way from long spaghetti, fettuccini or linguini as then it is really a pasta dish as opposed to a pasta salad recipe 👍😉😘.

Tasty tip: If you grow your own herbs, feel free to use homegrown basil. There is nothing more delightful when spending time in the kitchen, with a quick step outside to the garden, snipping some herbs and adding them to whatever you are cooking. I am using homegrown basil for this recipe 😉👍.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. You will need a medium sized mixing bowl to start combining the tomatoes, cheese and basil leaves.

1. Add tomatoes and mozzarella to a large mixing bowl, season with salt, pepper and olive oil (Photo 1)
2. Add basil to seasoned ingredients (Photo 2)
3. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to packet instructions (Photo 3)
4. Drain pasta, reserve ½ cup of the water, dollop in the pesto, pour in the water and stir to combine (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad

To make the salad, combine the tomato mixture and then set aside and you cook the pasta till it is al dente.

Reserve some of the pasta water, add it and the pesto to the cooked pasta then combine in a large salad bowl with the tomato mozzarella mixture.

Tasty Tip: A tip I have learnt over time with making this salad is that you can make it ahead of time and if you do, it is best not to slice all of the tomatoes in half. This saves a soggy salad!

• Pour the reserved pasta water into the pesto pasta (Photo 5)
• Stir to combine (Photo 6)
• Add both the seasoned ingredients and the pesto pasta to the salad bowl (Photo 7)
• Use salad servers to toss the salad (Photo 8)

🍽 Serving Suggestions

This salad works well at BBQ's, pot lucks and on the table for Sunday brunch. Serve as a main on its own, or if you consider it a side, try serving it paired with of the following recipes:

• Air Fryer Chicken Legs
• Whole Air Fryer Roast Chicken
• Air Fryer Beef Kabobs
• Air Fryer Spare Ribs
• Easy Air Fryer Chicken Skewers
• White Wine Sauce With Chicken
• Chicken Ribs (Baked then Grilled)
• Marinated Chicken Thighs

Fresh basil leaves as shown in the photos throughout the post are the perfect finishing touch.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store the salad in the fridge with cling wrap or in an airtight container until ready to serve.

It is not suitable to freeze and is best serve cold or at room temperature.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

• For pasta alternatives try rotini pasta, orecchiette pasta, bowtie pasta or your favorite pasta.
• Feta cheese works as an alternative to the bocconcini balls.
• Add some baby spinach leaves for an extra vegetable if you wish to.
• Sprinkle some toasted pine nuts over the top of the dish for extra protein if you wish.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks intended to help you master the recipe from the 1st time you try and each consecutive time you make it:

• If making the salad ahead of time, don't slice all of the tomatoes in half as this will make the salad soggy, keep all whole and slice a few in half at the time of serving.
• Add only the basil leaves, discard the basil stems.
• Use a tube type pasta to allow for the pesto sauce to enter the pasta and bring delight.
• When seasoning the tomatoes and cheese, use a gentle approach when stirring as these are fragile ingredients and we want to keep them looking their best.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Do you add pesto to hot or cold pasta?

Pesto is the hero ingredient in this dish. We add it to freshly cooked (drained) pasta and pour in a little leftover pasta water to get a silky smooth sauce.

You can use store bought pesto and for full disclosure, I am using a Basil Pesto I purchased from the store.

However, if homemade pesto is your thing, the Rocket and Cashew Pesto or Basil and Cashew Pesto recipes are worth substituting for store bought if you have time.

Can you eat pesto straight from the jar?

Pesto is fine to eat straight from the jar...however there is a little 'but' to this.

Most commonly used for stirring through pasta, pesto is a versatile ingredient and lends itself to a variety of uses.

Whilst it can be eaten straight from the jar, it depends on the context, brand, type and intention that you are using it for.

It is better to use a store bought dip type pesto if you want to use it as a dip or eat the pesto as is.

On the other hand, if you use a jar of pesto, these are best stirred through cooked, drained pasta, before tasting as their flavour is much more concentrated and doesn't lend itself to snacking the way the dip version does.

Much food or should I say pesto for your consideration!

😍 More Easy Salad Recipes

If getting salad on your fork is your favourite thing to go, I understand where you are coming from. Here are some more ideas, I think you will also love ❤:

• Herb Salad
• Roast Chicken Salad
• Boiled Egg Salad
• Healthy Panzanella Salad
• Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad

You can also find all of my salad recipes in the one spot. Pesto for your thoughts my friend? xx

Adrianne

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