Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad

Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad is a cool and easy way to enjoy all the elements of pizza during summer without turning on your oven!

Easy Caprese!

We still have an abundance of cherry tomatoes coming in so this Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad just seemed like the thing to do with them.

How’s the rest of your summer going?

We actually headed out of town to Nashville for the eclipse.  OMG.  It was a lot of work.

We could not get a hotel room closer than Murfreesboro which is 30 miles from Nashville.  However, we drove in, parked where we could and instead of stressing over parking, we hired Lyft.

Seriously, the concept behind Lyft and Uber is one of the greatest EVER!  How awesome is it to empower average people to earn extra money just by giving other people who need it… a “lift!”

We had wonderful drivers who were prompt, courteous and their vehicles were clean and welcoming!  Yay for a free economy!

Now back to this Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad!

There are plenty of pizza pasta salad recipes out there and they all look amazing.  However, this one combines the fun of pizza with the sophistication of a Caprese salad.  Is there nothing more summery than a Caprese salad?   Slices of fresh, local sun-ripened tomatoes, creamy Mozzarella and just-picked fresh basil?   You can almost call that dinner at our house!

No cherry tomatoes?  Use grape tomatoes.  None of either?  Chop up some fresh Roma tomatoes.  It’s a summer salad which means easy and forgiving!

Be sure when cooking the pasta you don’t overcook it.  There’s an Italian phrase–al dente–which means “to the tooth.”  Once you’ve cooked and sampled enough pasta, you’ll understand that phrase and know exactly how to cook pasta.  The pasta should be tender but resist a little bit.

Throw in some quartered, marinated fresh mozzarella balls, pepperoni, fresh basil, red onion and–my friend!  This salad is the perfect addition to the perfect end-of-summer dinner menu!

Looking for more pasta salad inspiration?  Try my:

• Whole Grain Pasta Salad with Cucumber Dressing, Peas and Fresh Dill
• Chicken Pasta Salad with Spinach – Buttermilk Dressing

Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad

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Prep Time 20 min

Cook Time 10 min

Total Time 30 mins

Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad is a cool and easy way to enjoy all the elements of pizza during summer without turning on your oven!

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• SALAD
• Salt
• 8 ounces whole grain penne pasta or other similar-sized pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 8 ounces fresh marinated mozzarella balls, quartered
• 2 ounces pork or turkey pepperoni (about 1 cup) sliced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• DRESSING
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. INSTRUCTIONS
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to the al dente stage. Drain, cool under cold running water, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add remaining salad ingredients.
4. DRESSING
5. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Adjust seasoning and acidity as desired.
6. Pour over salad and serve immediately.

by Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

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