Easy Caprese Pasta Salad
Looking for the ultimate summer side dish? This easy caprese pasta salad is a must-try! It’s made from a few simple seasonal ingredients and tastes incredible. Plus, the entire recipe comes together in under 20 minutes too. Simply wash and slice all of your fruits and veggies, then toss them with some cooked orecchiette pasta and homemade red wine vinaigrette. It’s that easy! Plus, the fresh seasonal peaches really take this caprese pasta salad to the next level. I can guarantee your family will fall in love with this simple summer side dish.
About this Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
For this easy caprese pasta salad I added ripe white peaches. White peaches are lower in acid than yellow peaches, so they always taste sweet whether they are perfectly ripe or not. Whereas, yellow peaches are higher in acid, they require more time to ripen before they’ll taste sweet. That said, some feel that yellow peaches have more of a peach flavor! You can use whatever peach you enjoy most.
For a heartier meal, add grilled chicken, sliced avocado, or grilled fish. No matter what you’re going to love this simple and flavorful salad recipe.
Storage
Store this pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy with your favorite protein for a fun and healthy twist. Looking for more summer recipes? Try my light and creamy crab salad or my pasta salad with cilantro lime dressing.
Easy Caprese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Easy Caprese Pasta Salad
- 6-8 ounces orecchiette pasta , cook al dente, once drained, drizzle with olive oil
- 4 ripe peaches , skin on optional, white peaches
- ½ cup mozzarella pearls, halved
- ¾ cup English cucumber , core and dice
- ¼ cup shallots , diced small
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- salt, to taste
- few turns cracked black pepper, to tast e
- 2 tablespoons basil leaves
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 mixing bowl
Instructions
Cook the pasta
- Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the package. Al dente is best. Drain the water, drizzle with olive oil and set the pasta aside to cool.
Assemble
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced ripe peaches, diced cucumber, halved mozzarella pearls, halved cherry tomatoes, cooled pasta, diced shallots, salt, and few turns cracked black pepper. Add the dressing and gently combine the ingredients.
- Top with fresh basil leaves and enjoy.
One Comment on “Easy Caprese Pasta Salad”
I didn’t really know what to expect with this combination, but I was blown away by how good this was. My husband put a little balsamic glaze drizzle on his. We have enough left over so a small dinner salad and I will be doing that on mine tonight.