Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe

 
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caprese pesto pasta salad

Tis the season for this incredible Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad, a tasty mash up of a traditional Caprese salad with a creamy Pesto pasta salad. With tomatoes and basil at their prime, the fresh flavors combined with homemade pesto perfection make this pasta salad a super-easy and gourmet way to bring sunshine to the table.

caprese pesto pasta salad

ingredients

Homemade Pesto
  • 1 cup fresh basil, gently packed, stems removed
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1/2 cup ground almonds
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup mini bocconcini cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Fresh basil, to garnish

directions

  1. For the pesto, place the basil, garlic, almonds, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process 10 seconds to chop. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream until mixture is smooth, about 20 seconds. Add the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise and white balsamic vinegar, processing just until incorporated.

  2. For the pasta, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until tender, drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Let cool slightly.

  3. Toss pesto with cooked pasta, tomatoes and bocconcini. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish serving bowl with fresh basil.

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Everybody likes pesto. You walk into a restaurant, that’s all you hear – pesto, pesto, pesto.
— George Costanza, 'Seinfeld'

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