Caprese Pasta Salad with Basil Dressing

This caprese pasta salad has all the classic flavours of an Italian caprese salad but with the addition of pasta and pine nuts. It's the perfect summer dish.

I am declaring this the summer of pasta salads. I've always loved a good pasta salad but this summer it's all I can think about eating.

I've made a balsamic pasta salad, Greek orzo salad with lemon dressing, mackerel pasta salad and now I've taken a classic caprese salad and turned it into possibly my favourite pasta salad yet.

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I am loving summer this year. We actually seem to be having pretty good weather and I've got everything crossed that it continues. Especially because I have loads more summer outfits that I haven't had chance to wear yet.

I absolutely LOVE my summer wardrobe. I'm not super into clothes, mainly because I've never had much money to spend on them, but on the whole I love wearing summer clothes so much more and all my summer clothes make me feel much happier and better about how I look.

The second thing I'm loving about summer is all the summer food. Every year I fall in love with summer food all over again.

This year I've decided I'm all about the bbq side dishes and picnic food. Hearty salads like this are my number one outdoor eat and I've decided that this year I'm going to expand my repertoire of them so that I've got something to take to every bbq and picnic I attend.

Why we love this caprese penne salad:

• It's so quick to put together with just a few ingredients needed which makes it the perfect summer dinner
• It's perfect for a barbecue side dish or a summer main dish 
• You can easily make this pasta salad ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to serve
• It takes just 20 minutes to make! (Try these other 20 minute dinner recipes too!)

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:

• Pasta - I used wholeweat penne, use any short cut you like
• Mini Mozzarella Balls - I love these, if you can't get them then go ahead and use a chopped up regular mozzarella ball
• Cherry Tomatoes - Quick! Use all the yummy summer tomatoes while you still can and add leftovers to this one pot cheesy pearl barley
• Pine Nuts - Toasted quickly in a pan
• Chives

When we were in Italy we were perpetually hunting out a good caprese salad. Before Italy I don't think I'd ever had a truly good tomato but then I tasted those beautiful summer tomatoes with that fresh mozzarella and my life was changed forever.

Now I know that tomatoes are one of the few things that I deem it worth splashing out on to make sure you get some flavour in those bad boys.

Related: Try out these caprese toasts for another delicious summery meal.

Anyway, back to Italy. We obviously had some incredible caprese salads while we were in Italy but the one that sticks out in my mind was actually the worst one we had.

We were in Rome and it was boiling hot, we'd spent the day traipsing around, sightseeing, and I was getting pretty hangry.

We were trying to find somewhere to eat and ended up settling on a miserable tourist trap where we had a caprese salad made up of bland mozzarella, watery tomatoes and a few tiny basil leaves.

Having tasted how bad a caprese can be I know when I'm eating a really really good one. And as much as I love a classic caprese salad this caprese pasta salad is really really good AND steps up on the carbs which can only ever be a good thing.

Instead of sticking with straight basil leaves I decided to coat the pasta salad in an amazing basil dressing which gives that caprese flavour in every bite.

If you're looking for another way to enjoy the delicious combo of tomato, mozzarella and basil then try out these caprese toasts!

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS BASIL DRESSING:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Basil - Add any extra to this Italian shakshuka
• Chives
• Dill
• Lemon
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Garlic

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TIPS FOR MAKING CAPRESE PASTA SALAD WITH BASIL DRESSING:

• This is definitely one of those salads that can benefit for a little bit of chilltime in the fridge to get those flavours infused so feel free to make the day before you need it if you have the time
• I add dill and chives to my basil dressing but you could leave one or both out if you're not keen on them or switch for another herb

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE IN 3 EASY STEPS:

1. Cook the pasta (or use leftover cooked pasta) and drizzle with a little olive oil
2. Blend together all the dressing ingredients
3. Mix the pasta, mozzarella, tomatoes, pine nuts, chives and dressing together and serve

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Want more? Get all my other pasta recipes before you go or try the ones below!

• Pappardelle and Pesto with Sun Dried Tomatoes
• 15 Minute Tuna Pasta with Pangrattato
• Penne Arrabiata with Smoked Sausage
• One Pot Cheese and Tomato Pasta Bake
• Butternut Squash Alfredo
• Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Thyme
• Tuna Pasta Salad

Recipe

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