Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad is a varied version of Caprese Salad (also referred to in Italian as Insalata Caprese). Caprese Salad is typically a simple cold salad made with sliced tomatoes, sliced mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves, sprinkled with olive oil and a little salt, and is often served as an anti-pasto dish. This Caprese Pasta Salad recipe combines the tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil with al dente gnocchi pasta and briefly steamed tender-crisp sugar snap peas. The tomatoes used with this Caprese Salad are in the form of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes and are halved, while the mozzarella cheese can be either chopped into bite-size pieces or purchased in bite-size ball form (usually in the deli section of grocery stores, Trader Joe's, international and/or other specialty grocery stores). The photo above shows this healthy pasta salad made with marinated mozzarella cheese, giving the salad additional flavor. All of these colorful fresh ingredients are tossed with a light and tangy pasta salad dressing made with olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, ground basil and a small amount of soy sauce, adding fabulous flavor while making the salad glisten!

The photo above shows this pasta salad made with gnocchi pasta, which is similar to pasta shells, in that they are able to catch the ingredients inside the pasta. You can certainly use other bite-size pasta shapes, but gnocchi, orecchiette, gigli and shells work very nicely with this recipe.

This Caprese Pasta Salad can be served as a side dish or a light main course, and will stay fresh for up to a week in the refrigerator when stored in an air-tight container. If you're looking for a healthy pasta salad with vibrant color, inviting texture and fresh and satisfying flavor, this Caprese Pasta Salad will not dissapoint!