A Caprese pasta salad is still simple at its core, but with more textures, more flavors, more color or let’s lay a little extra personality. It’s perfect for warm days, in the backyard, on the beach or having a small picnic on a blanket in a park; it’s summer in a bowl.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- Pasta – any pasta will do. I used trumpets pasta, also called Campanelle or gigli pasta.
- Tomatoes – Cherry or grape tomatoes are the best as they keep their shape, even if cut in half.
- Mozzarella cheese – Ciliegine (cherry size) or any size you can get.
- Basil – fresh basil is the best for a Caprese salad.
- Corn on the cob
- Dressing
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- White wine vinegar
How to Make Caprese Pasta Salad
Salads are as easy as 1 – 2 – 3. Cut, mix and enjoy.
Step 1 – Cook the pasta and the fresh corn and allow to cool.
Combine pasta, corn, tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl and mix in the dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, salt & pepper).
Allow the salad to sit for a while (in the fridge), so it can soak up the flavors.
Step 2 – Cut the fresh basil in thin strips (the chiffonade method) or simply tear the basil leaves into pieces you like. For a chiffonade, stack leaves, roll them tightly, and cut the roll from one end to the other. Then separate the ribbons and mix in the salad.
A Few Tips
- Cook the pasta a little longer, that means past al dente, making the pasta a little softer than you would do prefer for a warm pasta dish. Al dente pasta may become too hard when cooled and a pasta cooked little longer stays just nice and tender.
- Add the basil just before serving. When added early basil can lose some of its flavor and fresh aroma.
Additions and Varieties
It goes without saying that a Caprese pasta salad is flexible; you can add many ingredients and/or make changes to existing ingredients. Here are a few examples, still allowing the Caprese flavors shine through
- Additions
- Salami.
- Onion.
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Roasted turkey or chicken.
- Olives.
- Variations
- Keep the pasta luke warm instead of cold.
- Use pesto instead of fresh basil.
- Use balsamic glaze instead of a balsamic dressing.
- Use marinated instead of plain mozzarella.
- Roast or grill the corn instead of cooking it.
Other Caprese Recipes to Try
- Caprese Salad with Yellow Beets
- Salami Caprese Ciabatta
- Mediterranean Phyllo Pizza Caprese
- Cantaloupe Caprese Salad
Caprese Pasta Salad
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
- 7 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 1 ear corn, 5 ounces kernels
- 3.5 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 5 basil leaves
- 3 ounces pasta
Balsamic vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packaging and cook the corn on the cob in boiling water. Allow to cool.
- Make the dressing by mixing olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, salt & pepper.
- Combine pasta, corn, tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl, pour the dressing over the salad and mix. (NOTE 1)
- Allow the salad to sit for a while (in the fridge), so it can soak up the flavors.
- Cut the fresh basil in thin strips (the chiffonade method) or simply tear the basil leaves into pieces you like. For a chiffonade, stack leaves, roll them tightly, and cut the roll from one end to the other. Then separate the ribbons and mix in the salad.
- Season to taste, garnish with more basil, and serve.
Notes
- You may want to cut the cherry or grape tomatoes in half as well as the mozzarella cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.