Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American / Italian
Keyword: BBQ Side, Caprese pasta salad recipe, easy pasta salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 534kcal
This pasta salad has all the wonderful qualities of that amazingly delicious Italian masterpiece: The Caprese Salad. Fresh and vibrant, this pasta salad is always a hit when served to guests. And it can easily be made up to a day in advance.
Print Recipe
FOR THE MARINADE
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
FOR THE SALAD
- 16 oz farfalle pasta cooked and cooled
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted, divided
- 3 tbsp capers drained
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 12 oz mozzarella fresh, cut into bite-size pieces
- ¾ cup basil fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup chives chopped
- ¼ cup parsley fresh, chopped
In a small bowl, make the marinade by whisking together the extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Place all of the salad ingredients (reserving 1 or 2 tbsp of the pine nuts) in a large bowl. Pour the marinade in the bowl and use two large spoons to gently mix the salad together.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved toasted pine nuts on top. Serve at once, or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
We love using small cherry tomatoes that we cut in half for this salad, but fresh, large tomatoes are great, too. Simply core them and then cut into bite-size pieces.
Keep an eye on the pine nuts when you are toasting them! They turn a slightly darker brown color very quickly. We toast them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350°F for only 1 to 2 minutes.
After the pasta has cooked, we drain it and place it in a colander and then run cool tap water over it until it is no longer warm.
We have served this pasta salad with hot pasta, which is a nice variation, too. The cheese melts a little, but it's wonderful served warm or at room temperature.
If making the salad a day or two in advance, we recommend setting it out on the counter for about an hour before serving. You can add a little oil, or tap water, to the salad if its a little dry. Give it a good mixing before serving.
The pasta salad will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up 1 week. We don't recommend freezing pasta salad.
Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 361mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 892IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 2mg