May 13, 2024

Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad

As much as I love strawberries in sweet applications, I think I enjoy them even more when they go savory. I just adore strawberries in salads, salsas and more!

This Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad combines my love of strawberries in salads with my second favorite thing this time of year: caprese salads.

I could seriously eat a caprese salad every single day in the Spring and Summer. I’ve made several iterations of caprese salads in the past (check some of them out here, here and here!), all surrounding the classic combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. And now I can add this Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad to the list!

This recipe uses fresh strawberries instead of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and a homemade balsamic dressing. It also has farfalle pasta, arugula, red onion and pistachios. It’s a great combination of savory and sweet flavors!

Whenever I make pasta salad, I always toss the just cooked pasta with a portion of the dressing while it’s still warm. This really helps the pasta to soak up the flavors of the dressing. And prevents it from drying out. Then once the pasta has cooled, you can add as much of the remaining dressing as you like while you incorporate the other ingredients. Farfalle pasta is so classic and cute for pasta salads. But feel free to use any medium-ish sized pasta shape that you have.

This Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad would be great for any of your Summer parties or potlucks. You can absolutely make this recipe several hours in advance and store it in your refrigerator. It will hold up well. Try it for Memorial Day weekend!

Cheers,

Liz

Get the Recipe:

Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad

At a Glance:

Yield: Serves about 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

For the Pasta Salad:

• 8 ounces farfalle pasta
• 8 ounces fresh ciliegine mozzarella balls, drained
• 1/2 lb strawberries, trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the farfalle according to the package instruction until al dente. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle on about half the dressing, tossing to coat. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Once the farfalle has cooled, add the mozzarella, strawberries and red onion and toss to combine. Then gently fold in the arugula and basil, drizzling with the remaining dressing as you do so. Top with chopped pistachios before serving.
4. This salad can be served immediately. Or chilled for a couple hours before serving.