I’ve been too caught up in newborn/toddlerland to post for the past few weeks, but I’ve finally decided to hop back on the blogging train. I haven’t been cooking too much lately as we’ve also been fortunate to have had a lot of meals brought to us each evening. Baby N is pretty relaxed during the day, but things get a bit chaotic around dinnertime each night with him and T. Yesterday, I had big plans to make this caprese pasta salad right after lunch today while both boys were sleeping. However, T fought his nap big time, N woke up earlier than expected, and I spent any downtime I had trying to make our house look a little less like a scene from Hoarders.
I finally got a chance to start making this caprese pasta salad around 5 last night, but didn’t get a chance to start taking photos until 7 and I was losing natural light fast. Baby N was a bit fussy so I had him in the Moby wrap while I was photographing. Hence, these are not the most stylized or perfectly lit/focused photos. But, I promise what my photos lack, this recipe makes up for in taste!
This recipe combines two of my favorite types of summer salads: a good pasta salad made with fusilli and a caprese salad. I love the bright flavor that the white balsamic vinegar brings to this recipe as well. While I was making it, I was a bit concerned about using a half a cup of vinegar, but I think this is the ingredient that really makes this recipe shine. This caprese pasta salad would be a delicious summer dish on its own or served on a side with a piece of grilled chicken or steak.
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound fusilli pasta
- ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped into bite size pieces (you could also use small mozzarella balls)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, chopped (I used a combination of the two)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath in a separate bowl Once water is boiling, blanche basil leaves for 30 seconds. Once they turn bright green, use a slotted spoon to add them to the ice bath. Drain well, squeezing out any excess liquid. Add basil to the bowl of a food processor.
- Using the same pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until cool. Add drained pasta to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, in the food processor, add the vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper to the basil. Process for a few seconds. Continue to process and drizzle in the olive oil slowly through the top of the food processor until fully combined.
- Pour dressing over the top of the pasta. Add mozzarella, tomatoes, and capers. Stir together all ingredients until fully combines. Can be served immediately or refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Source: Slightly adapted from Love and Olive Oil
P.S. Happy, happy birthday to my favorite co‐blogger of all time! That glass of rosé is for you!
