Caprese: Pasta Salad Style

 

You can't go wrong with caprese salad. It's awesome pretty much any way you choose to make it. Here's a pasta salad version you will enjoy.

 

Pesto Pasta Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rotini pasta
3 tablespoons pesto, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup halved grapte tomatoes
1/2 cup small (pearlini) fresh mozzarella balls
Fresh basil leaves, finely shredded, to taste (at least 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.

Mix pesto, olive oil, salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper in a bowl; add rotini. Toss to coat. Fold in tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by the dailygourmet. You can find it here.

Notes: We used this homemade pesto recipe so that it would be nut-free because of my son's tree nut allergies. Be sure to let the pasta cool before adding the mozzarella, otherwise the cheese will melt, and you don't want that in this salad.