Why Should You Make This Recipe?
No more stressful grocery store runs when you make this easy dish. Pasta salad with pesto and mozzarella is a tasty yet effortless dish you can whip up in no time and for any occasion.
- This quick recipe is easy enough for even beginner chefs to prepare. Plus, you can serve it at room temperature, warm, or as a cold Caprese pasta salad for maximum flexibility.
- Basil pesto pasta salad makes an irresistible side dish for grilled meat and veggies. You could even have it by itself for a satisfying yet simple lunch.
- If you need a potluck-ready recipe, you can easily make this cold pesto salad for a crowd. Whether you need a pasta salad for a baby shower, summer barbecues, or weeknight get-togethers, these Caprese flavors will be a big hit.
Ingredients
For this pasta pesto salad recipe, gather pasta, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese pearls, shredded parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
To make the Pesto Dressing, you’ll need basil leaves, pine nuts, minced garlic, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
Helpful Notes & Substitutions
- Pesto: You can make homemade basil pesto vinaigrette or you can use store-bought pesto for a simplified version. If you prefer to use a storebought brand, simply mix ½ cup prepared pesto with ¼ cup white wine vinegar and ¼ cup parmesan cheese to turn it into a salad dressing.
- Tomatoes: I suggest using grape tomatoes for this cold pasta salad, but any fresh tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes will also work, as long as you chop them up.
- Mozzarella: I make this pasta salad with mozzarella balls (aka mozzarella pearls). However, you could also buy a package of fresh mozzarella cheese and cut it into small pieces. You could also use burrata cheese (as I did in this Burrata Caprese recipe) if you want to make it even more creamy. No matter what kind of mozzarella you use, make sure it’s fresh.
- Pasta: I use orecchiette pasta for this recipe, but virtually any pasta will work—including spaghetti, orzo, rotini pasta, and gluten-free pasta options such as quinoa pasta and brown rice pasta. Other fan-favorite options include pesto macaroni salad and rotini pesto pasta salad.
- Black olives: If desired, you can add a layer of saltiness to your pesto pasta salad recipe by adding black olives or chopped kalamata olives. The Mediterranean feel of this variation is as delectable as my Orzo Shrimp Salad.
- Balsamic glaze: It is optional but if you want to continue with the Italian flavors, follow the traditional Caprese salad recipe and finish it off with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
How to Make This Recipe
This cold pasta pesto salad comes together in a cinch. With only simple ingredients, you’ll be able to sample this summer dish in fewer than 10 steps.
Make the Pesto Salad Dressing
- Prepare the Caprese pasta salad pesto: Place basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Give the ingredients a rough chop (4-5 pulses).
- Add the olive oil: Turn your food processor on and drizzle the olive oil through the tube. Stop the machine and scrape the bowl 1-2 times until the vinaigrette becomes creamy.
Make the Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Reserve one cup of the pasta water. Place the now-cooked pasta in a large serving bowl.
- Assemble the salad: Add the fresh mozzarella balls and tomatoes to the large bowl with the cooked pasta.
- Dress the salad: Drizzle your salad with the prepared pesto sauce and toss the mixture until fully coated.
- Season: Sprinkle your salad with parmesan cheese and add any necessary extra seasoning.
- Serve: Garnish your dish with fresh basil leaves, and serve while still warm.
How to Store
This recipe for pesto pasta salad is a must-have for easy meal prep. Whether you prepare this dish in advance or store leftovers for later, cut your assembly time in half with these simple tips.
- Make ahead: To make this pesto mozzarella pasta ahead of time, chop up the tomatoes and prepare the pesto. Store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to a couple of days. Then, cook your pasta just before you’re ready to eat, assemble the salad, and serve in a large salad bowl.
- Storage: Pesto pasta will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Though possible, I don’t recommend freezing this pasta salad recipe. The pasta will lose its texture and not taste as great when thawed.
How to Serve
Herby and light, this easy pesto pasta salad can be served in countless ways. You’ll adore this recipe as a perfect side dish, a light lunch, or even a full meal.
- Side dish with grilled food: This creamy pesto pasta side dish recipe makes the ultimate pair with all your fresh-from-the-grill favorites. You won’t be able to put down your fork when you taste this recipe alongside my Grilled Shrimp and Shrimp Kabobs.
- Light lunch with a green salad: Few lunch recipes are as simple, satisfying, or fresh as this healthy pairing. Serve this cold pasta with pesto as the main course with Asparagus Salad or Spring Mix Salad for an unbeatable lunch combo.
- Top it off with chicken breasts: Want to turn your mozzarella pesto pasta salad into a nutritious and filling meal? Top it off with my Oven-Baked Chicken Breast or leftover Baked Chicken Parm and voila! Skip the hassle of weeknight meal prep with this easy main dish.
Expert Tips
Five-star eats aren’t just for professional chefs. Now you can make this pesto pasta side dish perfect every time with a handful of pro tips.
- Season the pasta water well: Want to give your pasta great flavor? Salt is the answer! Your pasta water should taste like ocean saltwater when cooking.
- Cook the pasta al dente: I suggest cooking your pasta al dente—usually 11-12 minutes—to give your pesto salad the ideal texture.
- Multiply the recipe: This pasta Caprese salad recipe is a godsend when you’re cooking for a crowd. Simply multiply the recipe as many times as necessary to serve your guests.
- Additional salt: Pesto is usually pretty salty on its own, so be sure to taste your fully prepared pasta salad before adding more salt.
FAQs
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been cooking for decades or just starting out. Anyone can make this green pesto pasta salad with an expert FAQ list at hand.
I prefer to prepare this pasta salad with orecchiette, but nearly any pasta will work. Elbow macaroni, rotini, orzo, and bowtie pasta are other great options to try.
Technically you can freeze pesto pasta with mozzarella, but I don’t recommend it. This dish will likely come out mushy and tasteless when thawed.
This pasta salad will last up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
Similar Recipes You Might Also Like
- Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta
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- Need more inspiration? Check out all our pasta recipes
- Blueberry Broccoli Pasta Salad – The View From Great Island
If you try this Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad recipe or any of our summer salad recipes on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It is a big help to others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Pesto Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pesto Dressing*:
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, or sliced almonds
- 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Caprese Pasta Salad
- 1 lb pasta, orecchiette, rotini, or your favorite gluten-free pasta
- 1 ½ lbs cherry tomatoes, sliced or cut in half
- 10 ounces small mozzarella cheese balls, or a whole log cut into bite size pieces
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, to use as garnish
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and place it in a bowl.
- Place fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times to give them a rough chop.
- Turn the machine on and while it is running drizzle in the olive oil through the tube. Stop and scrape once and continue running the machine until the vinaigrette is creamy.
- To assemble the salad: Into the bowl with pasta, place mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Drizzle it with the pesto dressing. Give it a toss making sure that everything is coated with the dressing.
- Sprinkle it with parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning. Add in if necessary.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve while still warm.
Video
Notes
- Store-bought Pesto: If you'd rather use store-bought pesto, you can turn it into a salad dressing by mixing 1/2 cup pesto with ¼ cup white wine vinegar and ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
- Cook the pasta al dente: I suggest cooking your pasta al dente—usually 11-12 minutes—to give your pesto salad the ideal texture.
- Multiply the recipe: You can multiply the recipe if you are serving a crowd.
- Additional salt: Pesto is usually pretty salty on its own, so be sure to taste your fully prepared caprese pasta salad before adding more salt.
- Make ahead: To make this pesto mozzarella pasta ahead of time, chop up the tomatoes and prepare the pesto. Store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to a couple of days. Then, cook your pasta just before you’re ready to eat, assemble the salad, and serve in a large salad bowl.
- Storage: Pesto pasta will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love these easy and delicious recipes!! Thank you!
Oh this pasta looks so yummy!!!!
We made this for dinner yesterday using the early summer tomatoes here and LOVED it! No leftovers:) Thanks for the recipe!
Beautiful, beautiful dish! Tomatoes are so good at this time of year and your photography is beautiful too!
Oh Sweet Lucie.. Thanks for your kind words. 🙂
PS: Your beautiful blog is such an inspiration to me. <3
I love how tasty & easy this recipe is, esp. when I truly love roasted tomatoes no matter how warm it is outside. Thank you so much for all the info.,Ice. Your photos are gorgeous, as always 🙂
Thank you my friend. Cheers!
That part of Atlanta sounds so charming and wonderful. If I ever make a visit there, let’s do lunch sometime in one of those cute restaurants, ok? As for roasted tomatoes, they are pretty unbelievable, aren’t they? This pasta dish is perfect for showing them off and you know I love brown rice pasta. and ps, I have that same plate! Your photos make me want to get it out and start using it again. 🙂
Awww thank you Emily. Yes, they are pretty awesome. I wasn’t going to style them like this, but after they came out of the oven that one batch you see on top looked so pretty. I decided to put them right on top. 🙂
PS: I wish I could buy all of Jono Pandolfi’s work. I love these plates.
Agreed about paying a bit more at the farmer’s market. Not only does it support family farms, but also, mostly organic farming practices! Worth every penny IMHO. What fun to make it a Saturday thing! I’m heading to the farm today to pick up our CSA…. always a fun event as there’s always something new to see, and people to chat with. This recipe sounds fabulous, Aysegul. I love pasta but have yet to try BRP. As far as turning the oven on? I’d do it for this! Delicious!
Oh I love a good farmer’s market. I am sure you remember I missed having access to a farmer’s market while we were on the island. So it is such a welcome change for us.
PS: I know you will love BRP. <3
Oh my gosh, is pasta sounds amazing. I wish I could visit Virginia Highlands… it sounds like just the type of place I would want to visit often. New Jersey is known for their tomatoes, so I am sure I can pull this off with our tomatoes. Can’t wait!
I used to live in NJ, so I know those tomatoes. 🙂
Glad you liked it Amanda. Cheers!
So so beautiful, Aysegul! I shop for ingredients at my local CSA, and aside from the environmental benefits, the taste of the fruits and vegetables is far superior than anything I can find at the grocery store. I’ll have to try this recipe with some of my local tomatoes! <3
Thank you Beeta! <3