Caprese Pasta Salad

This caprese pasta salad is light and easy, with burst tomatoes, roasted garlic, fresh basil, and creamy mozzarella. Always a crowd-pleaser!

📝 Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, smashed (leave peel on when roasting), minced after roasted
• 4 cups of cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper
• 6 oz. fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
• 8 oz. fresh perline mozzarella balls (perline are the small balls that come in a container of water)
• 1 lb. rigate pasta (penne or rotini would work as well)
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid
• 1 tsp. salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat oven to 400º.
2. 2Smash garlic and leave peel on.
3. 3Place cherry tomatoes and smashed garlic on baking sheet and season with 1 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. 4Place tomatoes and garlic in oven for 10-15 minutes, once finished peel garlic and mince. Set tomatoes and minced garlic aside.
5. 5Cut basil into ribbons. (pile basil leaves on top of each other, roll them up, and thinly slice.)
6. 6In the meantime, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, place pasta in water.
7. 7Cook until al dente. (8-10 minutes depending on the type of pasta)
8. 8Once pasta is done, take out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and set aside. Drain the rest of the liquid.
9. 9Place pasta, basil, mozzarella, minced roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, reserved cooking liquid, white balsamic vinegar and salt in a large bowl.
10. 10Mix all ingredients together until completely combined.
11. 11Serve. (you can serve immediately or as a cold pasta salad)