This tomato mozzarella pasta salad, also called Caprese Pasta Salad, is one of our favorites! With all the fresh summer flavors, juicy tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, mozzarella pearls, and a basic balsamic vinaigrette, along with orzo pasta, this is a delicious and filling salad. Enjoy it for a light lunch or as a side dish for dinner. Or take it to your next get-together or picnic. Everyone will love it! I love to put this salad together right before eating, similar to this Rotini Chickpea Pasta Salad and Waldorf chicken salad, as it is so easy to make once you have the ingredients ready. You can also prepare it in advance and refrigerate it for a few hours.
What is Caprese?
Caprese is a simple Italian salad made with slices of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil. This Caprese Pasta Salad is a variation of the traditional Caprese salad and pasta. I like to add orzo pasta to the Caprese salad, but you can use other types of pasta.
Ingredients in Caprese Pasta Salad
You can also add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, or arugula to this salad. Or if you like some parmesan cheese. Another variation could be to add pesto to this Caprese pasta salad. Here is my recipe for a delicious Basil Walnut Pesto. You can also check out my pesto orzo pasta salad recipe.
How to cook orzo pasta?
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta made with semolina flour made from durum wheat. You can cook orzo by boiling a large pot of water on the stovetop. Add orzo and boil for the time suggested in package directions. I like to cook orzo pasta in an instant pot like this Lemon Parmesan Orzo. You can cook just orzo and add it to this salad, or if you have leftovers from this Lemon Parmesan Orzo, they work well in this Caprese salad. Craving soup? Check out our favorite instant pot Chicken Orzo Soup recipe.
How to make Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad?
Enjoy this easy Caprese Orzo Salad for a refreshing light lunch, or take it to your next get-together!
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