Fresh Caprese Salad Pasta (Print)

Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil tossed with al dente pasta and olive oil in an Italian-inspired dish.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz short pasta such as penne, fusilli, or farfalle
02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Salad

03 - 9 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 7 oz mozzarella pearls, drained
05 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
06 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze, optional
08 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste
09 - Salt to taste

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse briefly under cold water to cool, then set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil leaves.
03 - Add the cooled pasta to the bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss gently to combine all ingredients.
04 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If desired, drizzle with balsamic glaze.
05 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra basil if desired, or chill for 20 to 30 minutes for a cold pasta salad.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than most people can decide what to eat for dinner.
  • You get all the freshness of a Caprese salad with the comfort of pasta in one bowl.
  • It works warm, cold, or somewhere in between, making it ridiculously flexible.
  • Leftovers actually taste better the next day once the flavors soak in.
02 -
  • Rinsing the pasta under cold water might feel wrong, but it stops the cooking and keeps the noodles from turning mushy when tossed with the fresh ingredients.
  • If you add the tomatoes and mozzarella to hot pasta, the cheese will melt and the tomatoes will wilt, which some people love but changes the whole texture of the dish.
  • Always taste before serving because pasta needs more salt than you expect, especially once it cools down.
03 -
  • Let the tomatoes sit with a pinch of salt for a few minutes before tossing to draw out their juices and create a natural dressing.
  • Use a good quality olive oil that you'd enjoy dipping bread into, because it's doing all the heavy lifting here.
  • Toss the pasta while it's still barely warm so the oil coats everything evenly and the basil releases its fragrance without wilting completely.
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