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A crowd-pleaser pasta salad made with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Perfect to bring to parties, potlucks and BBQs! Easy gluten free substitution included.
This salad is a summer staple, and for a good reason: it tastes amazing!
Traditionaly, Caprese salad is an Italian salad made with four simple ingredients: delicious ripe tomatoes, basil leaves, fresh, juicy mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil. Simplicity at its best!
Add some pasta and you have a hearty + filling salad you can serve as a main or as a side dish and that's perfect to bring to potlucks and BBQs.
A lot of Caprese pasta salad recipes simply use basil leaves, but I like to take it to the next level and really gofull on on the Italian flavors by using basil pesto. SO delicious!
Let's see how easy it is to make!
How to make Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad - Step by Step
Start by cooking 4 cups of small-shaped pasta (I used fusilli). Drain and rinse in cold water until cool. Drain and place in a large salad bowl(step 1).
Add quartered cherry tomatoes and mozzarella to the bowl(step 2) and mix to combine(step 3).
Add pesto(step 4)and lemon juice(step 5)to the bowl.
Mix thoroughly until all the pasta, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes are covered with pesto(step 6).
It's ready to be devoured!
A few tips to make the perfect caprese pesto pasta salad!
- Pesto: You can use homemade or store-bought pesto for this salad. I personally prefer to use homemade pesto because it tastes so much betterthan the stuff in a jar! Making pesto at home with fresh basil is very easy – and you can follow mystep-by-step recipe here.
- Pasta:Instead of fusilli, you can also use orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta), penne, rollatini, macaroni or any small shaped pasta.
- Don't overcook the pasta: make sure you cook the pasta al dente (the minimum time written on the package). They will be firmer and it's better when making pasta salad.
- Make ahead:You can prepare this salad ahead but if you're using homemade pesto, don't skip the lemon juice because this is what prevents the pesto from turning black (the change of color is caused by oxidation – it doesn't change the taste but it's not super pretty!).
- Make it gluten free:Instead of wheat pasta, you can use brown rice pasta or Banza pasta (chickpea pasta). It'll be just as delicious.
Enjoy! 🙂
If you tried this caprese pesto pasta salad,don’t forget torate the recipeand let me know how it went in the comments below – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me onInstagram,PinterestandFa
Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
A crowd-pleaser pasta salad made with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Perfect to bring to parties, potlucks and BBQs! Easy gluten free substitution included.
CourseMain Course, Salad, Side Dish
CuisineItalian
Keyword#capresesalad, #pastasalad, #summerpastasalad, #summersalad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 people (as a main)
Calories 391 kcal
Ingredients
- 4cupsfusilli pasta or another small-shaped pasta - see notes
- 0.5lbs225 g fresh mozzarella cubed or mozzarella balls, aka bocconcini, quartered
- 2cupcherry tomatoes, quartered (or halved if they are small)
- ¾cupbasil pestohomemade or store-bough – click the link for my easy homemade recipe
- 2tbsplemon juicefrom about 1 large lemon
- 0.5tspsea saltmore or less to taste
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions, making sure to cook them al denteso they are still firm (it's better when making pasta salad)
Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain again and place in a large salad bowl.
Add the cherry tomatoes and the mozzarella, and mix.
Add basil pesto and lemon juice to the bowl, and mix thoroughly until all the pasta, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes are covered with pesto.
Taste and adjust salt if needed (this will depend on the pesto you used). Serve and enjoy!
Make ahead: you can prepare this salad ahead but if youare using homemade pesto, don’t skip the lemon juice because this is what prevents the pesto from turning black (the change of color is caused by oxidation – it doesn’t change the taste but it’s not super pretty!).
Recipe Notes
- Pesto: You can use homemade or store-bought pesto for this salad. I personally prefer to use homemade pesto because it tastes so much betterthan the stuff in a jar! Making pesto at home with fresh basil is very easy – and you can follow mystep-by-step recipe here.
- Pasta:Instead of fusilli, you can also use orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta), penne, rollatini, macaroni or any small shaped pasta.
- Make it gluten free:Instead of wheat pasta, you can use brown rice pasta or Banza pasta (chickpea pasta). It'll be just as delicious.
Nutrition Facts
Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 /6th (as a main))
Calories 391Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 728mg32%
Potassium 226mg6%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 1125IU23%
Vitamin C 13.3mg16%
Calcium 255mg26%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
More pesto recipes:
- How to make homemade basil pesto
- Tomato, Pesto and Mozzarella Skewers
- Eggplant and Pesto Baked Pasta
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms With Ricotta, Pesto And Grilled Haloumi
- Panko Crusted Fish with Pesto
UPDATE NOTE:This post was originally published onAugust 29, 2014and republished in July 2018 with an updated and simplified recipe, new photos and more tips.
« Tomato, Pesto and Mozzarella Skewers
Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad »
Reader Interactions
Comments
Amanda
About how much basil is in a bunch? We grow our own 🙂 Thanks!
marie
I would say at least 2 cups, packed! So jealous that you have your own basil!! 😉
Ketty@AnticaTrattoria
This sounds like such a delicious mix of potato salad and caprese salad! This would be perfect for the upcoming long weekend!
marie
Definitely! Thanks for stopping by Ketty 🙂
Karly
I thinks this will be a big hit at my next BBQ! Thanks for sharing!
