The real caprese salad is my all time favourite salad so this idea seemed good too. The combination of fresh basil pesto and the mozzarella cheese really works! Couple of minor things: saved a few basil leaves and slivered them over top of the salad and added a bit of sweet aged balsamic vinegar because I usually add that to the tomato version of this salad. Also fresh mozzarella cheese doesn't shred so I chopped it into thin slices. Thanks!
This is delicious! You can't go wrong with basil tomato and cheese. One thing I didn't think to do that I should have done - rinse the pasta with COLD water before combining it with the pesto cheese and tomatoes. I simply drained it and it ended up melting my cheese. It's still good but would be better with un-melted cheese.
I made this recipe for a cool dinner dish tonight after a hot day here in the Sierra Nevada's and it didn't dissapoint. I thought the pesto was a little light and I doubled the pesto recipe (I'm pregnant so fat content be damned!) and added a 6 oz can of olives halved and loved it! Thank you for the new summer staple at my house!
This was awesome! I did make a few changes that didn't really affect the taste. I used tri-color rotini I didn't use the optional pine nuts so I just chopped the fresh basil instead of creating a pesto. I used halved grape tomato's since they are a bit sweeter. This makes an amazing summer side dish!
I've made these a few times and it always turns out so yummy! I haven't made it without the pine nuts because I think it makes it more authentic. If pine nuts aren't available or really expensive I've seen walnuts pecans or almonds used but haven't tried it myself. I would wait to add the mozzarella until the pasta is cooler (room temp or if it's been in the fridge for a while) or just before serving. If added warm they start to melt. If you add it while the pasta is cold and let it sit in the fridge it and the pasta tends to absorb the flavor of the pesto. I use fresh fusilli from the farmers market. I also add a few dashes of balsamic vinegar for a little tang and cut through that super fresh herby taste.
It was wonderful. I doubled the fresh mozzarella cheese and added feta because I had some. I took it to a pot luck and it was gone in no time. Thanks this is a keeper
This is good but a lot more pasta than I would use so I'd probably use half the amount next time. I found myself adding more mozzarella and tomato because the pasta overwhelmed everything else. The pesto is very good and did cover the amount of pasta called for. I made this to take to a bbq and made it the night before; before I left I added a bunch of sliced basil leaves to the salad. It added more color and helped the flavor so if you love basil don't be afraid to add more!:o) This was a lovely pasta salad that is easy and relatively quick to make. It was a hit at the bbq. I had leftovers but it made a ton so keep that in mind. Thanks for the recipe!
This was so disappointing!
Tasted exactly like Caprese Salad. Thanks for sharing this. I did not use pine nuts and it came out perfect. I will be making this again and again this summer.
