Easy Caprese Pasta Salad
This Easy Caprese Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, fresh basil, cucumbers, and a delicious homemade herb vinaigrette. The perfect make-ahead summer side dish for BBQs, lunches and meal prep!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb bow tie pasta (farfalle)
- 3 mini cucumbers chopped
- 3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 oz mozzarella pearls drained
- 1 cup basil leaves chopped (plus more for garnish)
For the Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the bow tie pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse briefly with cool water to stop the cooking while keeping the pasta slightly warm.
- Make the dressing. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, honey, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and fully emulsified.
- Let the pasta absorb the dressing. Transfer the warm pasta to a large bowl. Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the warm pasta and toss until evenly coated. Allow the pasta to sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This lets the pasta soak up all of the incredible flavor instead of having the dressing pool at the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the fresh ingredients. Once the pasta cools, gently fold in the cucumbers, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and fresh chopped basil. Pour the remaining dressing over everything and toss gently until evenly coated.
- Chill and serve. Serve immediately or refrigerate for another 30 minutes before serving for even better flavor. Just before serving, garnish the cold pasta salad with extra basil leaves and freshly cracked black pepper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8th of recipe | Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.6g | Protein: 12.9g | Fat: 19.7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 62.5mg | Sodium: 245.3mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4.6g