This delicious Italian pasta salad is made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, fresh mozzarella, and penne pasta. It has the most delicious and simple balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette to pull it all together and it is so easy to make. Make it for picnics or easy summer meals.
Though the ingredients are simple and similar to other pasta salad recipes, the techniques when making this Italian pasta salad are what really make it shine. This Italian pasta salad is my favorite pasta salad and my go-to summer recipe to bring to almost any gathering I attend and everyone always loves it. It is basically a pasta caprese.
I love making this as a lighter meal during the summer months for my family since it has all of the flavors of summer in it like tomatoes, basil, and garlic.
The flavors in this Italian 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 is perfect for a day at the beach or for an outing in the warmer months since there is no mayonnaise.
What you will need
Pasta Salad
- Pasta. You need a shaped pasta like penne, ziti, or bow tie.
- Fresh Basil.
- Fresh mozzarella. Any fresh mozzarella shape works. Just make sure to cut the mozzarella all to the same size.
- Tomatoes.
The balsamic dressing
- Olive oil.
- Balsamic vinegar. If I have time to make it, I like to make a balsamic reduction. This is a little extra but a tasty addition.
- Fresh garlic.
- Cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper in this 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 balsamic are what make this pasta salad so amazing.
How To Make Italian Pasta Salad
The reason this pasta salad is so good is because of the techniques used to make it.
- 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!
Recipe Tip: When making this balsamic pasta salad, you want to make sure you are using only fresh mozzarella, not dried or shredded. You can use Buffalo mozzarella or cow milk mozzarella. Either is fine for this recipe
Storing, Leftovers and Reheating
This dish really tastes best the first day it is made since it has a vinegar and oil-based sauce. I do store leftovers and reheat gently the next day but the consistency and flavors do change a bit. If you have leftovers here is what to do:
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours for the best results and no more than 2 days.
- To reheat, place in the microwave on medium heat for only 1-2 minutes or until the pasta salad is just warm. If you prefer it hot, you can add another minute or two.
Faqs
No, rinsing the pasta is not necessary since it is not made with mayonnaise.
For this 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.
Serving Ideas
There are so many things that go well with this pasta salad. My favorite things to pair with this Italian pasta salad are:
You Can Also Check Out These Other Easy Pasta Recipes
- For classic recipes, we love our Pork Bolognese, Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil .
- If you love fresh pasta ideas, our Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and our Checca Sauce are recipes you will love.
- More pasta salad ideas: No Mayo tuna pasta salad and peanut pasta salad.
Italian Pasta Salad With Balsamic
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
- ⅛ 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 hereTried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
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