This easy Caprese pasta salad is really going to change the way you think about pasta salad because it is so good. Caprese pasta is made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, mozzarella and pasta. It has the most delicious and simple balsamic and olive dressing to pull it all together and it is so easy to make. This is Italy's version of pasta salad and it is by far my favorite no mayonnaise pasta salad I make for picnics or easy summer meals.
Why I Love this Caprese Pasta Salad
Though the ingredients are simple and similar to other pasta salad recipes, the techniques when making this Italian pasta salad is what really makes it shine. This Caprese pasta is my go to summer recipe to bring to almost any gathering I attend and everyone always loves it.
I love making this as a lighter meal during the summer months for my family as well. It has all of the flavors of summer in it like tomatoes, basil and garlic.
The flavors in this Caprese pasta salad are a little zesty from the balsamic vinegar, a little heat from the garlic and cayenne and delicious freshness from the mozzarella, basil and tomatoes.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it does not use mayonnaise like traditional American pasta salads. This makes it completely safe to pack up for a day at the beach or for a outing in the warmer months.
I love that this Caprese pasta recipe uses penne pasta which I find more substantial than traditional pasta salad and I prefer the larger pasta shape! I use it in my pesto pasta and in my pasta with broccoli in truffle cream sauce.
Ingredients you will need to make this Caprese Pasta Salad
- Pasta. You need a shaped pasta like penne, ziti or bow tie pasta when making Caprese pasta.
- Fresh Basil.
- Fresh mozzarella.
- Tomatoes.
- Olive oil.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Fresh garlic.
- Cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper in this Caprese pasta salad adds a little zing but it will not be spicy!
- Kosher salt.
I do not recommend substituting any of the ingredients. The fresh ingredients, spices and the balsamic are what make this Caprese pasta salad so amazing.
You can adjust the quantities however and it will still be amazing. I love adding a little more balsamic and cayenne pepper!
As I mentioned above, the reason this Caprese pasta salad is so good is because of the techniques used to make it. If you follow them, you will have the perfect pasta salad every time!
How to make Caprese Pasta
- Cook your pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, salt it well and cook until al dente.
- Prep your ingredients: Slice your garlic, dice up your tomatoes, make your balsamic sauce and cut up your fresh mozzarella .
- Toss it all together: When your pasta is cooked, add it to your bowl with the sauce and toss well. Taste for seasoning. Once it is perfectly seasoned to your taste, add your fresh mozzarella.
- Plate and serve!
How to serve this Caprese Pasta Salad
This Caprese pasta salad is often requested by my friends and family no matter what time of year it is. This zesty Italian pasta salad is great any time of year but it is the best in the summer when basil and tomatoes are in abundance.
The great part about this easy Caprese pasta is that it is not served hot but warm (more like a warm room temperature).
It can be used in lunches or picnics because there is no meat. Just make sure you pack a mint because of the garlic 🙂
Tips For Making this Italian Pasta Salad
No, rinsing the pasta is not necessary and the starches left behind from not rinsing will help the sauce stick.
For this Caprese pasta salad, you do not need to make it the day before. Other mayonnaise based recipes would have you do that but this can be made the day it is ready to be eaten.
Best mozzarella to use for Caprese pasta
When making a Caprese pasta salad, you want to make sure you are using only fresh mozzarella, not dried or shredded. You can find Buffalo mozzarella or cows milk mozzarella. Either is fine for this recipe.
Another thing is when you go to the store to buy fresh mozzarella, you will find varying sized balls of mozzarella available. All of these will sit in whey that keeps it fresh and gives it a better flavor. You will want to make sure to dry off the mozzarella with a paper towel before using it.
Here are some different types of mozzarella you can expect to find at the store:
- Mozzarella ball: this is the standard fresh mozzarella that mosts people think of.
- Ovoline: This is slightly smaller in size than a ball off mozzarella and it will have more of an egg shape. I would buy two of these to make a standard ball of mozzarella.
- Bocconcini: These are small balls of fresh mozzarella and they are very convenient for quick serving sized portions of mozzarella.
- Pearline mozzarella: This are tiny balls of mozzarella and iff you do use these, you do not need to dice the mozzarella since they are already very small.
Making this ahead of time
Caprese pasta salad is best made and served the same day since it if freshest. If you do want to make it ahead of time, here is how I would do it:
- Make the dressing and prep the garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.
- Store dressing in the fridge in a sealed container.
- Store the other ingredients in the fridge in a another container.
- When ready to make, cook the pasta then add all of the prepped ingredients and dressing to the cooked pasta.
- This Caprese pasta salad can be assembled up to 2 hours ahead of time.
What to serve with Caprese pasta?
There are so many things that go well with Caprese pasta. This Italian pasta salad can be served on its own as well. My favorite things to pair with this Italian pasta salad are:
You can also check out these other Easy Italian Pasta Recipes:
- Pasta Carbonara
- Pork Bolognese
- Italian Macaroni and Cheese
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Pesto without pine nuts
- Traditional Bolognese
- Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomatoes
- Cheese Tortellini with Sauce
- Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta
- Checca Sauce
- Garlic Crostini
The Best Caprese Pasta Salad
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 ½ cups ripe tomatoes diced I like to use roma tomatoes
- 8 ounces large ball of fresh mozzarella you can also use small mozzarella balls (called bocconcini) and dice them up.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil sliced thin
- 3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar plus more to taste
- 4 cloves of garlic sliced paper thin
- â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper more if you like the heat
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Boil your pasta according to instructions on box for al dente.1 pound penne pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, slice your garlic as thin as possible and place in a large bowl.4 cloves of garlic sliced paper thin
- Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and basil to the bowl then mix and let it sit to let the flavors come together.3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ cup fresh basil sliced thin
- Next dice up your tomatoes and add them to the bowl.1 ½ cups ripe tomatoes diced
- Dice fresh mozzarella into small ½ inch cubes and put aside.8 ounces large ball of fresh mozzarella
- When your pasta is cooked, add it to your bowl with the marinade and toss well.
- Taste for seasoning such as salt, more balsamic etc. based on your taste. I almost always add a pinch or dash of something at this stage since I like a lot of cayenne pepper and lots of balsamic.
- Once it is perfectly seasoned to your taste, add your fresh mozzarella cubes and toss again.
- Plate and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Bill says
Everyone loved it. I made it for a work gathering and it was gone in no time.