Whether you serve it cold or warm, this Pesto Caprese Pasta Salad is the perfect summer salad for picnics, cookouts, potlucks, or barbecue party needs. Ready in 30 minutes, it is guaranteed to impress.
1lbpastaorecchiette, rotini, or your favorite gluten-free pasta
1 ½lbscherry tomatoessliced or cut in half
10ouncessmall mozzarella cheese ballsor a whole log cut into bite size pieces
¼cupshredded parmesan cheese
Handful of fresh basil leavesto 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.