Caprese Pasta Salad

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Caprese Pasta Salad – a delicious pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. Perfect for the lunchbox, picnics or your next barbeque, this Labor Day weekend or any time.

Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese salad, the classic combination of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, is a staple at our house during the summer. We love it in all formats. I thought the flavors would go nicely in a pasta salad and that certainly is the case.

I tossed together fresh cherry tomatoes, basil and cubes of mozzarella along with penne pasta in a fresh garlicky balsamic vinaigrette. The resulting pasta salad is so fresh, delicious and full of flavor.


Caprese Pasta Salad

This summer, we’ve been making a lot of tomato, basil and mozzarella salads, including this Caprese Pasta Salad. We’ve been the lucky recipients of lots of fresh tomatoes and basil, from our Vermont neighbors’ bountiful garden, plus we’ve started making are own mozzarella cheese.

Make Your Own Mozzarella Cheese

Earlier this summer, my husband purchased a {affiliate link} Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese Making Kit from amazon.com.

The kit provides everything you need to make cheese, you just need to buy the milk. One gallon of milk makes 1 pound of cheese (the kit provides supplies to make 30 lbs of cheese), it only takes about 30 minutes, is a lot of fun and the resulting cheese is absolutely delicious.

Caprese Pasta Salad

This fresh and flavorful Caprese Pasta Salad is great for a portable lunch. We’ve been enjoying it on the boat, it is also great for picnics or in the lunchbox.

This delicious pasta salad is also a wonderful accompaniment to also sorts of grilled entrees. It would also be the perfect addition to your next barbeque this Labor Day weekend or anytime.

So, tell me, have you ever made your own cheese? Let me know in the comments below!

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Caprese Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad - a delicious pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese, perfect for the lunchbox, picnics or your next barbeque.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from ~ ½ lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (from ~ 1 clove)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped basil leaves, packed
  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups mozzarella, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions, set aside to cool.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
  3. Add cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add in basil, tomatoes and mozzarella. Pour dressing over mixture and toss to combine.
  4. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
  5. Serve pasta salad or refrigerate (see notes).

Notes

Basil tends to lose its bright green color a few hours after it is chopped. If you plan to make this pasta salad ahead of time, prepare the pasta salad, adding all ingredients except the basil and refrigerate. Before serving, chop basil and add to salad, tossing again to combine.

http://joylovefood.com/caprese-pasta-salad/

 
Caprese Pasta Salad - a delicious pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. Perfect for the lunchbox, picnics or your next barbeque, this Labor Day weekend or any time.

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26 comments

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  9. Christy Paws says:

    Mom has made her own yogurt and thinks she may have made her own cheese many years ago but is too old to remember that far back! She loves caprese salad and has tons of tomatoes from the garden but often doesn’t have the mozzarella cheese. The cheese-making kit just may be the ticket.
    Christy Paws recently posted…Window Washing on Mo Cats DayMy Profile

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