Caprese Pasta Salad (Printable)

Tomato, mozzarella, and basil pasta toss finished with balsamic glaze. A refreshing Italian classic ready in minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)
02 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Salad

03 - 9 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 7 oz fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini or ciliegine), drained and halved
05 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
06 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
07 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Dressing

08 - 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
09 - 1 small garlic clove, finely minced (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain through a colander and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking and cool the pasta quickly.
02 - Transfer the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, drained and halved mozzarella balls, and roughly torn fresh basil leaves. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
03 - Drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil over the salad. If using, add the finely minced garlic. Toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
04 - Just before serving, drizzle the balsamic glaze over the top of the salad. Garnish with additional torn basil leaves if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like summer in a bowl without requiring any stove gymnastics beyond boiling pasta.
  • The balsamic glaze creates these gorgeous dark ribbons that make everyone think you spent hours when you barely spent twenty minutes.
02 -
  • If you dress the salad with balsamic too early it pools at the bottom and turns everything brown, so always wait until the last possible moment.
  • Rinsing the pasta feels wrong when you are used to saving starch water, but here it stops the cooking immediately and prevents a gummy clumpy mess.
03 -
  • Drain the mozzarella on paper towels for ten minutes before halving it, otherwise the excess whey waters down your dressing.
  • If you only have regular balsamic vinegar, reduce it in a small pan with a pinch of sugar until it coats the back of a spoon and you have homemade glaze.

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