Caprese Pasta Salad is a light, beautiful Italian-inspired pasta salad that’s perfect for summer with mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and basil!

Caprese Pasta Salad combines two summer favorites – pasta salad and Caprese salad. This side dish is loaded with fresh, savory flavors, and it’s super simple to make. Chilled pasta, mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and a light balsamic vinegarette are the simple summer ingredients needed to make a deliciously refreshing meal!

caprese pasta salad in a serving bowl with a wooden spoon with recipe name at the bottom

Summer Goodness

Summer was made for all kinds of salads, and I make everything from pasta salads to fruit salads as often as I can! Cooling down to keep enjoying a warm summer day is as easy as a cold glass of lemonade and a bowl of Caprese Pasta Salad, with its chilled, fresh flavors. This pasta salad is perfect as is, but if we’re grilling too, then I love to add grilled chicken to the dish as well. The tangy balsamic vinegarette ties it all together beautifully, and while this pasta is filling, it’s not heavy, so you can keep playing all of those fun backyard games with everyone!

Set out a tray of Garden Caprese Stacks and Caprese Bruschetta for an easy light snack everyone will love!

Other Recipes to Serve with Caprese Pasta Salad

Thanks to summer, we have amazing drinks like Summer Berry Sangria, which is more than a treat. It’s a summer must-have!
If you’ve never tried balsamic vinegar on fruit, then be sure to try Berry Caprese– you’re in for a delicious surprise!

Ingredients

Pasta: I like to use cavatappi pasta for this pasta salad for its fun shape and ability to hold onto the dressing. You can substitute any short pasta you like, though. I would recommend Penne or Farfalle.

Produce: Grab some cherry (or grape) tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and garlic.

Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella makes this recipe. It’ll be in the cheese bunker with the fancier cheeses at the store. You can get the mozzarella pearls in the little tub or a log of fresh mozzarella and then cut it into small pieces.

Dressing: To make the vinaigrette, you will need olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sundried tomato pesto, dried oregano, parsley, rosemary, garlic powder, dried minced onion, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and chili powder.

How to Make Caprese Salad

STEP ONE: Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package until it’s al dente. Drain and then run the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking. Place it into a bowl and add olive oil to keep it from sticking. While the pasta cooks, cut the tomatoes and mozzarella pearls in half and add them to the bowl with the pasta. Add the chopped basil and then set the bowl aside.

cooked cavatappi pasta, halved tomatoes and mozzarella pearls, and chopped basil in a serving bowl

STEP TWO: Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a small saucepan over medium. Once hot, add the garlic cloves and cook them for 2 minutes, often stirring, until softened. Then transfer the garlic and oil to a food processor and puree that together.

cooked garlic cloves in oil in a small saucepan

STEP THREE: Whisk together the pureed garlic, the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil, and all of the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss to coat.

balsamic dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl next to a whisk

STEP FOUR: Chill the pasta salad for 1 hour to let the flavors marry together and let the pasta salad get cold. Or you can serve it immediately if desired.

caprese pasta salad tossed in balsamic dressing in a serving bowl

Tips for Success

If you don’t have a food processor, transfer the garlic to a cutting board and mince it with a knife. Just get the oil from the pan when you add everything to the dressing.
You can make the pasta ahead of time. Once it’s been tossed in oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until you’re ready to assemble the pasta salad.
The dressing can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. This vinegarette is delicious on a variety of salads. I’ve been known to keep a jar of it on hand, so I’m always ready for summer meals!
If you want to add more protein, chopped or shredded chicken breast is a great idea.

close up of caprese pasta salad with a basil sprig on top

What can I use instead of balsamic vinegar?

For this recipe, red wine vinegar would be the best substitute for balsamic vinegar. You may need to add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste) to the dressing.

Balsamic glaze can not be substituted in this recipe. The glaze is more like syrup, so it is much sweeter, more concentrated, and will not work in the dressing. However, you can drizzle some balsamic glaze over the pasta salad once it’s assembled.

close up of a spoonful of caprese pasta salad over the serving bowl

What are the ingredients for an Italian Caprese Salad?

Caprese salad is a summertime favorite because of its deliciously light flavors and because it uses some of the freshest garden items. Summer is when gardens overflow with veggies and herbs like tomatoes and basil. So thickly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella topped with a basil leaf and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar is like eating some of the best of what summer offers. The perfect bite has some of each ingredient. The combination of sweet, salty, tangy, and herby makes caprese a classic dish everyone loves!

a small bowl of caprese pasta salad with a fork in front of the serving bowl

A pasta salad for every summer potluck!

*This post was originally posted on 06/08/2015.