Caprese Pasta Salad
Updated Jul 25, 2025
This Caprese pasta salad is made with fresh mozzarella balls, tomatoes, basil, and a homemade balsamic dressing. Just toss with pasta and you're done.
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Caprese Pasta Salad is so good!
I really love anything caprese. I’ve got seven caprese-inspired recipes on my site, and this caprese pasta salad is one I come back to a lot during summer, especially when I want to bring something cold to a get-together.
It’s everything I love about caprese: the mozzarella, the tomatoes, the fresh basil, but tossed with pasta and a super simple balsamic dressing. I’ll make this caprese pasta salad ahead and stick it in the fridge, and we’ll eat it for lunch, dinner, or whenever I don’t feel like turning on the stove again.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Caprese Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta: My favorite pasta to use in this recipe is orecchiette because the shape holds the dressing so well, but any small pasta will work (think: fusilli, farfalle, elbows, or your go-to gluten-free option).
- Mozzarella pearls: These little balls of fresh mozzarella cheese can be found in the deli section of most grocery stores! But if you’re having trouble finding them, you can break up some fresh mozzarella, too.
- Grape tomatoes: I like to use small grape or cherry tomatoes for this pasta salad because they hold their shape well, but for flavor purposes, you can use any fresh tomatoes you have on hand.
- Fresh basil: Fresh basil is so much better than the dried stuff here, imo.
- Dressing: You’ll just need extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper for this simple dressing.
How to Make Caprese Pasta Salad
Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
This Caprese pasta salad is made with fresh mozzarella balls, tomatoes, basil, and a homemade balsamic dressing. Just toss with pasta and you're done.
Ingredients
- ½ pound orecchiette pasta or other short cut
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more for cooking pasta
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside to cool.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella, tomatoes and basil on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper until emulsified. Drizzle the dressing over the pasta and toss gently to combine.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
The original recipe used my walnut pesto instead of balsamic vinaigrette: ½ cup fresh basil leaves, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp walnuts, 2 tbsp parmesan, salt and pepper, and ¼ cup olive oil.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can make this salad up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just add the fresh basil leaves immediately before serving for best taste.
Nutrition
Calories: 334kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 131mg, Potassium: 281mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 710IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Use high-quality ingredients. Try to use peak seasonal tomatoes, good quality mozzarella (the kind packed in water, not the kind you can shred), fresh basil, and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. It’s a pretty simple recipe so good ingredients make all the difference re: bringing out the bright, fresh flavor of this summer pasta salad!
- Cook your pasta al dente. I always prefer al dente pasta, but for this salad in particular, you won’t want your noodles to get mushy, so cooking al dente is extra important!
- Don’t rinse your pasta. The starch on cooked pasta helps emulsify and bind the dressing. Rinsing also washes away some of the salt from the pasta water, which is what makes the pasta taste so good.
- Cool the pasta faster. Don’t be tempted to rinse the pasta to cool it off. Instead of rinsing, spread the pasta on a baking sheet or toss it gently with a bit of olive oil to cool it without becoming sticky or overcooked.
Serving Ideas
- Add protein. To make this caprese pasta salad into a full meal, I like to add a simple protein! My favorites are roasted balsamic chicken, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, and pan seared salmon.
Comments
Wow! Caprese is always a favorite during the summer but you took this on another level by making into a salad with pasta. This is going to be my new dish to take for summer parties.
Best pasta salad I have ever made and a crowd pleaser, everyone can not get enough of this
Thank you so much!
are hemp seeds a healthy fat
Yes, hemp seeds are rich in healthy fats!
Thanks for this recipe. I just made it for a small family barbecue. They jokingly said ahead of time they were expecting a spectacular salad. They got it! I made it with some gluten free pasta and the rest with durum wheat pasta–a little more work but worth it for folks who need to eat gf and are often left out of the good stuff.
Aww that’s the best feeling! So glad you all enjoyed it!
I made this pesto caprese pasta! and it was FANTASTIC! love the recipe and will be using it again for sure!
Thanks so much Sadie for the review and I’m so glad you liked it!!