# Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad — a easy recipe with 4 main ingredients, ready in about 20 min and serving 6. Check which of its ingredients are on sale at grocery stores near you.

- **Time:** 20 min
- **Serves:** 6
- **Difficulty:** easy
- **Tags:** lunch, pasta, quick, italian, vegetarian
- **Source:** https://savingrecipes.com/recipes/caprese-pasta-salad

## Ingredients

- 1 lb rotini
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella
- Fresh basil
- Balsamic vinegar _(pantry staple)_
- 2 tbsp olive oil _(pantry staple)_
- Salt & pepper _(pantry staple)_

## Instructions

1. Cook pasta; rinse under cold water.
2. Toss with halved tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, basil, oil, and balsamic.
3. Season generously and chill until serving.

## Tips

- Rinse the pasta under cold water — the one time it's correct. It stops the cooking and washes off surface starch that would turn the salad gluey as it cools.
- Dress it while the pasta is still slightly warm. Warm pasta absorbs oil and vinegar; cold pasta just gets coated.
- Season more aggressively than feels right. Cold food tastes blander than hot, and under-seasoning is the usual failure in a pasta salad.

## Substitutions

- **Rotini:** Any short shape with texture — fusilli, farfalle, orecchiette. Smooth shapes hold dressing less well.
- **Fresh mozzarella:** Bocconcini or torn buffalo mozzarella. Feta or cubed provolone change the character but work. For vegan, skip it and add white beans for substance.
- **Balsamic vinegar:** Balsamic glaze is sweeter and thicker; red wine vinegar is sharper and less sweet.
- **Cherry tomatoes:** Any ripe tomato, chopped and drained. Out of season, roast them 15 minutes first — it concentrates flavour that isn't there raw.

## Storage & reheating

Keeps 3 days refrigerated, though the basil darkens within hours — add it fresh on day two. Let it sit out 20 minutes before serving; fridge-cold mutes everything.

## Common questions

### Can I make it the day before?

Yes, but hold back some dressing and the basil. Pasta absorbs dressing overnight and looks dry — refresh with oil and vinegar before serving.

### Why does my pasta salad taste bland?

Under-salted pasta water and under-seasoning at the end. Salt the water like the sea, then taste again after chilling.

### Cold or room temperature?

Room temperature. Straight from the fridge the olive oil is thick and the tomatoes taste of nothing.


_Photo: jeffreyw — CC BY 2.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pasta_salad_with_cherry_tomatoes.jpg)_