Caprese Pasta Salad (Fresh and Easy)

This fresh and easy salad combines all the classic flavors of a Caprese Salad with pasta for a delicious side dish everyone will love.

This is the Best Caprese Pasta Salad, combining all the classic flavors of a Caprese Salad with pasta! Perfect as a simple family side dish or when feeding a crowd, this make-ahead recipe delivers a burst of flavor everyone will love.

Looking for more pasta salads? I love Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad, and Spaghetti Salad!

Ripe tomatoes and mozzarella pearls make the Best Caprese Pasta Salad.
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Everyone loves pasta salad! Whether you serve it as a side dish, take it with you on a picnic, or share it at a potluck or covered dish supper, it’s always one of the first foods to disappear. Recently, I decided to give one of my most popular recipes on A Southern Soul twist. I’ve turned my Simple Caprese Salad recipe into a pasta salad. The result? Outstanding!

What Is A Caprese Salad?

A classic Caprese Salad, or Insalata Caprese, is an Italian salad most often served in the summer. It’s made with ripe tomatoes layered between slices of fresh mozzarella basil leaves, then drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s light, refreshing, and delicious.

Ingredients For This Recipe

Fresh ingredients make Caprese Pasta Salad with a light dressing easy to make.
  • Grape Tomatoes – sliced in half or quartered
  • Mozzarella Pearls – tiny balls of cheese found at the deli counter
  • Fresh Basil – sliced into ribbons
  • Pasta – you can use any shape you like
  • Homemade Vinaigrette – olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

Additions And Substitutions

  • Add avocado, sliced peppers, or onions.
  • Toss in leftover chicken for a salad main dish.
  • Tuna makes a great add-in, along with some black or green olives.

How To Make Caprese Pasta Salad

Balsamic herb dressing poured over fresh ingredients make Caprese Pasta Salad so delicious.
  • Make the balsamic dressing – Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a small bowl or jar with a lid. Whisk or shake until all ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.
  • Cook the pasta – Make it according to the package directions in a large pot of salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  • Prep The Salad – To a large bowl, add cooked pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil.
  • Toss everything together – Drizzle with vinaigrette dressing and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Donya’s Success Tip

Caprese Pasta Salad is best served at room temperature. If you’ve stored it in the fridge, place it on the counter for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Easy to make Caprese Pasta Salad has fresh tomatoes and basil in a light dressing.

Often Asked Questions

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

You bet. I like to make the salad the night before serving it. I drizzle on about ¾ of the dressing, toss all the ingredients together, and store the pasta salad and remaining dressing in an airtight container in the fridge. Before serving, I drizzle on the remaining dressing, toss, and serve.

What’s the best way to store leftover pasta salad?

If you’re lucky enough to have some of this salad left over, you can store it in covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

What To Serve With Fresh Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad is the perfect salad or side dish and is fresh and easy to make.

More Great Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love!

If you tried this Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!

A bowl full of the best Caprese Pasta salad is fresh and easy to make.

Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe

4.97 from 65 reviews
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 336kcal
Print Pin Rate
This fresh and easy salad combines all the classic flavors of a Caprese Salad with pasta! Perfect for a simple family meal or when feeding a crowd this make-ahead recipe for the best Caprese Pasta Salad delivers a burst of flavor everyone will love.

Equipment

Ingredients

Vinaigrette Dressing

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 -3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Caprese Pasta Salad

  • ½ pound dried pasta (farfalle or other small pasta works best)
  • 8 ounces mozzarella pearls (or cubed fresh mozzarella)
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes sliced in half
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • To a small bowl or jar with a lid, add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake until all ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  • To a large bowl add cooked pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil. Drizzle with vinaigrette dressing and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

To make ahead, drizzle on ¾ of dressing, toss, cover, and store the pasta salad and remaining dressing in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Uncover, drizzle with dressing, toss and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcal · Carbohydrates: 33g · Protein: 12g · Fat: 18g · Saturated Fat: 4g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7g · Cholesterol: 14mg · Sodium: 228mg · Potassium: 229mg · Fiber: 2g · Sugar: 4g · Vitamin A: 473IU · Vitamin C: 9mg · Calcium: 160mg · Iron: 1mg
The Best Caprese Pasta Salad is fresh and easy to make.

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Recipe Rating




82 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I just made this. It is a welcome relief from potato salad!
    It’s very light for a super hot day like today, we are having a heat wave here in Pennsylvania! The balsamic dressing was as good if not better than any restaurants! I used bow toes! My sister and I have seconds! It went well with the rotisserie chicken we picked up at our local Giant. I’ll be looking for more pasta salad recipes in the future, yours are the best!

    1. This comment made my day! I am a lover of pasta salads for sure. It has been hot here in NC too, this is the perfect dish for the weather! ~Donya

  2. 5 stars
    I made this salad for my husband tonight. It was absolutely delicious!!! Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.

  3. 5 stars
    This is great! I made it last summer and will do it again. We loved the dressing ,too! And get baby mozzarella balls. Makes salad special for summer!

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe! My sister made it for a family dinner party and I had to have the recipe after! She told me she also added some black olives and Parmesan cheese. Delicious! 😋

  5. 5 stars
    I made this for a ladies Bible study. It was great and everyone loved it. I had a little bit left and ate it after they left. So very good! Can’t wait to make it with my home grown tomatoes.

  6. 5 stars
    I absolutely love the recipe! One of the family favorites. I recently added kalamata olives and english cucumber to change it up a bit.

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