Balsamic Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe

Is it just us or does nothing say summer quite like Caprese? We love it all, including peach Caprese, avocado Caprese, and even chicken Caprese. Let those summer tomatoes shine with another form of the iconic dish: balsamic Caprese pasta salad!

Recipe developer Sher Castellano recommends serving this dish up with a "summer soup, or a simple piece of meat or fish." May we suggest a quick gazpacho recipe or this 5-ingredient shrimp scampi recipe? In true summertime meal fashion, this dish is quick, easy, and requires minimal cooking time — only boiling water for the pasta.

For those looking to make this a main dish, no need to add meat here. Castellano recommends adding vegetarian sources of protein: "To keep this as true to Caprese as possible, I wouldn't suggest meat. If someone wanted to get protein into this recipe they could add in white beans (1 cup) ... or they can use legume pasta."

To make this balsamic caprese pasta salad, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need grape tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, fine sea salt, penne pasta, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, pepper, garlic powder, mozzarella pearls, and basil.

The first step involves marinating your tomatoes. Halve the grape tomatoes and place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Give this mixture a good stir and let sit. Castellano tells us, "The reason why you marinate the tomatoes at the beginning of the recipe is to infuse them with flavor. The salt and the acid helps do this."

Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the penne pasta. Cook according to package directions. Then, drain the pasta and rinse with cool water. Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl and set aside. We will add the other ingredients to this bowl shortly.

Lastly, in a small bowl, add the ingredients for the dressing. Into the bowl, add the remaining balsamic vinegar, remaining salt, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk this combination until the dressing is combined and emulsified. Next, into the large bowl with the pasta, add the juicy marinated tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and the balsamic dressing. Then, toss the salad to combine. Castellano notes that this salad can be eaten at room temperature or eaten cold, but leftovers can be "refrigerated for up to 72 hours," according to Castellano.