Pasta Caprese (Two Ways)

Pasta Caprese: What's So Special?

• It’s filling but refreshing at the same time.
• It’s quick and super easy to make with only 5 main ingredients.
• You don’t need to cook any of the ingredients except for pasta.
• You can easily use leftover Caprese Pasta and turn it into hot pasta dish the next day.
• Its ingredients essentially represent Italian flag colors so it's a great dish for summer gatherings that tastes delicious and looks attractive to the eye.
• You can prepare it two ways:
  • 1) Pasta fredda which is essentially cold Caprese Pasta Salad - perfect for summer time.
  • 2) Classic warm pasta with Caprese sauce using all the same ingredients just changing slightly the cooking process.

With this recipe you’ll have step by step instructions on how to make it both ways.

Ingredients & Substitutes

See recipe card for quantities.

• Pasta - high quality durum wheat pasta is essential for this recipe. As opposed to soft wheat pasta it won’t get mushy or soggy when mixed in a pasta salad. It also has more flavor and it’s healthiest as well due to higher amount of fiber.
• Short type of pasta is the best. You can use any short pasta you have available. Most common pasta shapes for pasta salads are bowtie pasta (farfalle), classic fusilli, penne and even radiatori. If you choose penne pasta make sure they’re rigged penne to help better hold the sauce. 
  Pick any of these 2 Neapolitan pasta brands and you will not regret: Rummo, Garofalo
• Cherry Tomatoes - tomatoes will be used raw in classic pasta fredda (cold Caprese Pasta Salad) version so it’s super important to pick the best quality, sweet cherry tomatoes you can find. Cherry tomatoes can be substituted with grape or plum tomatoes (oblong shape quality of small size tomatoes) or datterino tomatoes (Italian sweet variety of oval shaped tomato). 
• Mozzarella  Cheese - fresh small mozzarella balls or mozzarella pearls that are even tinier work the best for this recipe. If needed you can substitute them with regular fresh mozzarella ball cut in small cubes and drained from excess liquid. The most important thing is that it’s fresh mozzarella (that floats in liquid in the package). Don’t use Mozzarella for pizza as it has a very different taste.
• Fresh Basil Leaves - washed and pat dried with a paper towel. You'll need basil leaves for the sauce so as extra leaves to put directly in the salad. If you don't have time or blender to make fresh basil sauce from sauce (which uses only 2 ingredients!) you can substitute it with a few tablespoons of basil Pesto Genovese.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - the best quality you can get. In such a simple pasta with minimal ingredients every ingredients with impact the taste in a significant way.

How To Make - Step By Step Pictures

Step 1: Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt, about 1 tablespoon for 3 quarts (3 liters) of water. Once water is boiling drop pasta, give a quick stir and let cook until ‘al dente’ which literally means “to the tooth”.

Step 2: Cut cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. While pasta is cooking slice cherry tomatoes in half and drain mozzarella cheese from excess liquid. Mozzarella bites should about the size of cherry tomato halves. So if you’re using large mozzarella balls cut it in cubes the size of the cherry tomato.

Step 3: Prepare basil sauce. Wash and pat dry basil leaves. They should be completely dry to prevent the sauce from turning brown. Set a few leaves aside for decoration.

Using a hand-held blender or food processor pulse basil leaves with extra virgin olive oil and a few pinches of salt until you get a smooth paste.

Step 4: Put everything together. Once pasta is ready, drain it and quickly rinse it with cold water.

Place in a large bowl with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to prevent it from sticking as it cools. Let cool completely.

Add basil sauce and mix well. Lastly add cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and remaining basil leaves torn by hand. Give a gentle toss and serve.

1. Cook pasta in salt boiling water until almost done ('al dente' - with a light bite to it). Make sure to preserve a ladle of hot pasta cooking liquid.
2. In the meantime add a generous slash of extra virgin olive oil in pan, then add cherry tomato halves and half of the basil leaves torn with your hands.
   In hot Caprese version also add a garlic clove or two crushed with a flat knife (optional). Let roast together with tomatoes until tomatoes are lightly browned. Discard garlic.
3. Once pasta is ready add it to the pan with tomatoes and a splash of pasta cooking liquid.
4. Stir well, then add mozzarella. Toss quickly and turn the heat off. Let pasta sit for 2 more minutes in a pan to let mozzarella melt without getting chewy.
5. Add remaining fresh basil torn in small pieces and serve.

How To Store

Store any leftovers in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2 days. When ready to consume you can leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes or make quick and easy Caprese Pasta Bake.