This caprese pasta salad is a fast way to make a quick lunch or snack that tastes fresh and light!
The basil is booming! Let’s find something to do with it! Caprese is a natural choice, and easy (did a pesto caprese back in the day), but I wanted to change it up a little bit and turn those flavors into a full meal. give you: caprese pasta salad.
A few weeks ago, I hauled 5 food processors to church to teach a group of our women’s ministry how to make two “healthy snacks.” I chose this black bean hummus (hence the food processors), and also was going to create a pasta salad with pesto. However…I realized cleaning all of the food processors in between was going to be a nightmare…so I moved to an easier Plan B! Fresh cut basil smells and tastes amazing on its own, no blending needed. And most importantly, we had fun – chatting, cooking and having a little Bible study discussion.
Anyway, since we just kind of winged it at the event, I wanted to formally document this recipe! But, this recipe is so simple, that you can just chop everything up and season it however you like. I also included black olives and bell peppers in the optional section of the recipe, in case a sprinkle of either of those would complete this dish for you. When I was with the ladies, we even used string cheese sticks instead of pearls. It’s all customizable to your taste and budget. All in all, it’s perfect for a summer picnic! Let me know what you mix in!
Homegrown Spotlight: Basil (even the stuff at the event!) is from my garden! My tomatoes are also finally growing, so hopefully I’ll see some fruit here in the next month or so.
xxHillary
Caprese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 C. dry rotini pasta
- 1 C. chopped tomatoes
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 10-12 basil leaves
- 1/2 C. mozzarella pearls
- 2 T. olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 T. lemon juice
- Optional:
- Black olives
- Bell peppers
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to the directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Chop tomatoes and garlic, and chiffonade the basil (cut into strips).
- When pasta cools, toss pasta with tomatoes, garlic, cheese, basil and 2 T. lemon juice.
- Drizzle it all with olive oil (up to 2 T.).
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- #enJOY!
Recipe Notes
Vegetarian
Sounds like such a fresh, tasty dish! Our basil is likewise booming, so it’s definitely time to put it use!
Yes!! I think this weekend I’m going to be making bunches of pesto!
This is delicious! I just made it and it’s a hit – curious, if I wanted to make it with black olives, how much would you recommend? A half can? Thanks!
Oh yes, I’m so happy you liked it! Yes, I bet about a half can would be perfect, but you can adjust based on how much your people like olives!