Caprese Pasta Salad

One of our favorite summer salad recipes is a Caprese salad. We love the combination of ripe, juicy tomatoes, with mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar. We recently made this into a Caprese pasta salad for a backyard barbecue and it was a huge hit! Both the kids and the adults devoured it happily, there were no leftovers!

When we developed this pasta salad recipe, we wanted to make sure it was easy to prep in advance so the flavors could marinate and become even better. Plus, by prepping ahead it gave us time to make a couple of other dishes for the table like grilled teriyaki chicken and our easy cucumber tomato salad.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Less than 10 simple ingredients – We kept it easy when developing this pasta salad, nothing crazy is on the ingredient list. The best part is you can customize the salad to have any veggies you please. Plus, you can also use almost any short pasta shape you already have at home.
Serves a crowd – This Caprese pasta salad makes 6 servings and can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a large crowd.
Meal prep-friendly – Prepare the salad, transfer it to an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge until it’s time to serve. It’s great for a weeknight dinner, event, or just for eating throughout the week with a protein.

Tips for Busy Cooks

To make sure that pasta is al dente and not mushy, you’ll want to cook the pasta and drain according to the package instructions. After draining the pasta, quickly rinse it under cold water. This will prevent the pasta from cooking further and keep it’s texture perfect for the salad.

A bowl of Caprese pasta salad topped with fresh basil and balsamic glaze.

What is Caprese salad?

This is a classic Italian salad from the island of Capri. It has only four ingredients: ripe tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and basil. It’s great in the summertime when the tomatoes are ripest.

The soft cheese and tomatoes are sliced into even thickness and then layered on a plate. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil finishes off the dish for a bite that’s so delicious and refreshing.

Key Ingredient Notes

Pasta – We use rotini for this recipe, but any small-sized pasta like orecchiette, farfalle, penne, or fusilli can be used. Just be sure to cook them according to their package instructions.
Grape or cherry tomatoes – These contribute a sweet flavor. I don’t recommend replacing them with other tomato varieties like heirloom or beefsteak as they’re likely to become soggy.
Mozzarella – Fresh Mozzarella pearls or balls can typically be found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. Alternatively, you can buy a larger ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Extra virgin olive oil – The base of the dressing, be sure to buy a high quality brand since the flavor it prominent in this salad.
Balsamic vinegar – Adds a sweet, tart taste that balances out the fats and enhances the natural sugar in the tomatoes.

Ingredients needed to make Caprese pasta salad which include seasonings, grape tomatoes, basil, garlic, mozzarella pearls, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and pasta.

How to make Caprese pasta salad

Cook the pasta: Prepare the pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until a dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Combine: In a large mixing bowl, add the halved tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Gently mix to combine. Finally, fold in the basil, saving a few leaves for garnish to make your salad truly picture-worthy.
Chill: Cover the caprese pasta salad with plastic wrap, and transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least an hour. This step is important to help the flavors meld together!
Serve: Give the ingredients a good stir, and add your basil leaves if you saved them. Finish with a drizzle of as little or as much balsamic glaze as you’d like, and enjoy!

Four images showing the process to make Caprese pasta salad. From top to bottom, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper are added and then mixed to combine. On the bottom, the pasta is added with basil and tossed to coat.

Expert Tips:

Let the pasta cool. It’s okay for your pasta to still be a little warm when adding it to the bowl. In fact, this can help the dressing stick. However, you don’t want it to still be piping hot. Otherwise, your caprese pasta salad will turn soggy, and we don’t want that!
Prepare in advance. For a quick meal, this recipe can be prepared a day ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge. Just give it a good toss when you’re ready to serve.
Add the basil last. If you are making this a few hours in advance, stir in the basil right before serving. This keeps the flavor of the basil as fresh as possible.
Make it a meal! Try adding protein like grilled chicken, tuna, or shrimp to transform this side dish into a complete meal.
Add some mix-ins. You can customize the Caprese pasta salad by adding other ingredients such as sliced black olives, diced red onion, bell pepper, or diced avocado.

What to serve with Caprese pasta salad

The options are endless, this side dish really completes any summer meal. Here are some of our favorite recipes for pairing:

Storing Tips

Store this Caprese pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The noodles will absorb some of the liquid. So, add a little more olive oil or balsamic vinegar as needed before serving to freshen your salad back up.

We do not recommend freezing this recipe! It will make the noodles and tomatoes mushy.

A plate full of homemade Caprese pasta salad.

FAQs

What is the key to a good pasta salad?

Cooking the pasta until al dente, chilling the pasta salad for at least an hour, and adding the freshest seasonal ingredients.

Where is Caprese salad from?

It’s originally from Capri, Italy and is now popular all over the world.

What can I use instead of Mozzarella in caprese?

If you don’t have fresh Mozzarella, burrata cheese is the next best thing. However, feta cheese, paneer, cheese, or halloumi cheese can all be used.