Umami
Umami

Mediterranean Meals

Caprese Pasta Salad

4 servings

servings

5 minutes

active time

15 minutes

total time

Ingredients

6 ounces (2 cups) whole grain fusilli or rotini pasta

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

8 ounces mozzarella “pearls”, or one mozzarella ball, torn into bite-sized pieces

Several sprigs of fresh basil (enough for 2+ tablespoons chopped)

2 to 3 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar or regular balsamic vinegar, to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, tomatoes and salt in a large, non-reactive skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover the skillet (use a baking sheet if you don’t have a better lid). Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes have started to burst out of their skins and the olive oil has a light red hue (about 6 to 12 minutes).

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked pasta. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes while you chop the basil. We don’t want the cheese to melt on contact, so wait to proceed to the next step until your pasta is lightly warm (not hot).

Stir the mozzarella balls and basil into the pasta. Add the vinegar, then taste and add additional vinegar and/or salt, if it doesn’t quite taste spectacular yet. For best flavor, let the mixture rest for about 20 minutes, so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce. Or, refrigerate it for future use.

This salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftovers are great chilled or at room temperature. You can also reheat the pasta if you don’t mind the mozzarella melting (yum).

Nutrition

Serving Size

-

Calories

552

Total Fat

33.9 g

Saturated Fat

11.5 g

Unsaturated Fat

-

Trans Fat

0 g

Cholesterol

50.6 mg

Sodium

681.8 mg

Total Carbohydrate

47.1 g

Dietary Fiber

8.4 g

Total Sugars

8.3 g

Protein

20 g

4 servings

servings

5 minutes

active time

15 minutes

total time
Start Cooking

Ready to start cooking?

Collect, customize, and share recipes with Umami. For iOS and Android.