Caprese Pasta Salad (with Avocado)
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Caprese Pasta Salad will be one of the tastiest pasta salads you’ve tried! It’s packed with mini pasta, fresh mozzarella pears, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh avocados and a tasty balsamic glaze. In other words lots of fresh exciting flavors here!
Fresh Caprese Pasta Salad
You can never have to many summer pasta salad recipes! Especially when they are as good as this Avocado Caprese Pasta Salad!
The classic Caprese combo — tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar — is one of my favorite summer flavor blends. All those fresh flavors together paired with that tangy and slightly sweet balsamic vinegar or glaze just makes my heart sing.
And so I decided to mix those flavors into an Italian pasta salad, and why not add avocado? Because when you add avocado to the Caprese combination, things just get that much better!
And I know I find myself saying this way too often, but what better to serve this with than grilled chicken? A perfect summer meal!
Caprese Pasta Salad Ingredients
For this Italian pasta salad, you’ll need:
- Mini penne pasta
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh basil
- Shredded Parmesan
- Pine nuts (or walnuts)
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Avocados
- Mozzarella pearls
- Balsamic vinegar
How to Make Caprese Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta and drain
- Make pesto in a food processor.
- In a bowl, toss together cooked pasta, tomatoes and pesto.
- Add avocados, mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar and toss lightly.
Can I Use Store-Bought Pesto?
If you’d prefer not to make a homemade pesto, you can use a store-bought pesto (it just won’t be quite as good and the coloring is kind of blah to me). I would probably go with 1/4 cup plus a few tablespoons of olive oil (then don’t leave out the basil ribbons).
Can I Use Another Type of Pasta?
Yes, you can use any short, sturdy pasta for this recipe. Bow-tie, normal penne, and macaroni should all work here!
Tips for the Best Caprese Pasta Salad
- Because this summer pasta salad uses fresh tomatoes and avocado, you can’t make it too far in advance. The tomatoes will start to get soggy and the avocado will turn brown.
- If you can’t find mozzarella pearls, you can cut up a large ball of fresh mozzarella.
- Fresh basil is a must in this recipe, dried cannot be substituted.
More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Garden Veggie Pasta Salad
- Mexican Macaroni Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Poppy Seed Chicken and Grape Pasta Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad with Feta
- Classic Macaroni Salad
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Caprese Pasta Salad (with Avocado!)
Ingredients
Pasta salad
- 10 oz. (2 3/4 cups) mini penne pasta shells
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 small avocados, diced (they should be fairly firm but ripe)
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, then more for serving to taste (use white balsamic vinegar for better coloring if desired)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to directions on package. Drain and let cool completely.
- In a food processor pulse 1 cup basil leaves, parmesan, pine nuts, and garlic until minced. Pour in olive oil and process until everything is finely minced. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta and tomatoes to a salad bowl. Pour basil (pesto) mixture over pasta and tomatoes and toss to evenly coat.
- Add in avocados, mozzarella, basil (set some aside to garnish over top if desired), and pour in balsamic vinegar and toss just lightly.
- Serve immediately with more balsamic vinegar and parmesan if desired.
Notes
- If you can't find mozzarella pearls, you can cut up a large ball of fresh mozzarella.
- Fresh basil is a must in this recipe, dried cannot be substituted.
- Recipe source: Easy Cooking Zone