Fresh Caprese Salad Pasta (Printable Version)

Fresh Italian pasta with juicy tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil tossed in olive oil. Light, vibrant, and ready in under 25 minutes.

# 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 (bocconcini), 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

# How To Make:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to cool, and 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.
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 20-30 minutes for a cold pasta salad.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than ordering takeout and tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.
  • The mozzarella gets just slightly melty against the warm pasta without turning into a gummy mess.
  • You can serve it hot right away or pack it cold for lunch the next day and it somehow tastes even better.
  • Every bite feels like eating sunshine, especially when tomatoes are at their peak.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the pasta under cold water or the residual heat will melt your mozzarella into strings instead of keeping it creamy.
  • Taste your tomatoes before you start, if they're bland or out of season, roast them for 10 minutes with olive oil to concentrate their flavor.
  • Add the basil at the very end or it will turn dark and bruised looking if it sits too long with the acid from the tomatoes.
03 -
  • Use the best mozzarella you can find, the creamy, milk-soaked kind from the deli counter, because it makes all the difference when the ingredient list is this short.
  • If your tomatoes aren't peak season sweet, add a tiny pinch of sugar to the bowl before tossing to help them along.
  • Let the pasta sit for five minutes after tossing so the flavors marry, but not so long that the basil wilts completely.
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