Caprese Pasta Salad with Prosciutto
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Caprese pasta salad is standard summer fare for good reason: tender pasta, juicy tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella are about as crowd-pleasing as it gets. Take it beyond the basic with this version that adds prosciutto, pine nuts, and the simplest but most delicious balsamic dressing. This was the first thing I ever cooked for my now-husband, and we still love it more than 15 years later!
Every summer deserves a stand-out pasta salad, and I humbly submit this one for your consideration. It takes classic flavors anyone can embrace and adds a little pizzazz, so it can hold its own on any table!
Why You’ll Love Caprese Pasta Salad with Prosciutto
- Fresh, light, vibrant Italian flavors
- Easy to make and extra quick if you use cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls
- Tiny amounts of prosciutto and pine nuts add so much
- Pairs perfectly with picnics, cookouts, and summer dinners of all stripes
- Good for making ahead and equally tasty cold or at room temperature
Add it all up and you have a summery wonder that pairs perfectly with steak kabobs, easy grilled chicken, or your ordinary kid-friendly hot dogs and hamburgers.
Ingredient Notes
Play with the Add-Ins
Prosciutto and pine nuts both add so much, but I know they are relatively expensive ingredients. If they just don’t work with your budget, try adding slivered almonds or sunflower seeds instead of the pine nuts, and crisped bacon instead of the prosciutto. Or, build the rest of your menu strategically so the extra doesn’t go to wasteātoss the pine nuts over an arugula salad or use in pesto, and use the prosciutto to top a creamy butternut risotto.
One Bowl, Big Flavor
To keep this as simple as possibleāI always appreciate a one bowl recipeāstart by combining the initial ingredients in a very large bowl, big enough to hold all of the pasta and other ingredients when finished.
Coarsely chop your tomatoes and mix with minced garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Give everything a good stir and set aside for a few minutes so the flavors begin to mingle.
Next, stir in the mozzarella. Tiny pearls don’t need to be chopped. If you have ciliegine (“cherry-sized”) mozzarella, I recommend cutting the balls in half.
Cook pasta just to al dente in well-salted water, then drain and cool a bit. You don’t want to add super hot pasta directly to the bowl and accidentally melt the cheese!
Add the warm-ish pasta to the tomato-mozzarella mixture along with the prosciutto and pine nuts.
Salt and pepper to taste, and you’re done! I like to add a few more fresh basil leaves on top just for presentation.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Make Ahead: AddĀ everything except the pine nuts and final garnish of basilĀ to a bowl and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Stir in both those items, then serve cold.Ā
- To Store:Ā Leftover caprese pasta salad keeps in an airtight storage container in the fridge forĀ at least 2-3 days.
More Quick Summer Side Dishes
Caprese Pasta Salad with Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta any bite-sized shape
- 1 and 1/2 pounds Roma or plum tomatoes cored and coarsely chopped, or cherry tomatoes, see note
- 4 medium cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves slivered
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese see note
- 2 ounces prosciutto chopped or torn into small pieces
- 2-4 Tablespoons pine nuts
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous pinch of salt followed by the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, just to al dente. Drain well, then set aside pasta to cool slightly.1 pound pasta
- Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Stir well and let stand at room temperature for a few minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.1 and 1/2 pounds Roma or plum tomatoes, 4 medium cloves garlic, 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Chop and stir in the mozzarella. Set aside.8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- Once the pasta has cooled a bit, stir it into the tomato-mozzarella mixture along with the prosciutto and pine nuts. Toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.2-4 Tablespoons pine nuts, kosher salt and black pepper, 2 ounces prosciutto
- Serve at room temperature, or transfer to the fridge to chill and serve cold.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Use juicy Roma or garden tomatoes if you have time to chop and scoop out some of the seeds; use cherry or grape to make it happen in a hurry, since those work well if just sliced in half and tossed into the bowl.
- Mozzarella: Ciliegini or pearls work wonderfully; a single large ball of cheese is great if you don’t mind chopping it yourself.
- Save $$$: Prosciutto and pine nuts both add so much, but I know they are relatively expensive ingredients. If they just don’t work with your budget, try adding slivered almonds or sunflower seeds instead of the pine nuts, and crisped bacon instead of the prosciutto. Or, build the rest of your menu strategically so the extra doesn’t go to waste.
- To Make Ahead: AddĀ everything except the pine nuts and final garnish of basilĀ to a bowl and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Stir in both those items, then serve cold.Ā
- To Store:Ā Leftover caprese pasta salad keeps in an airtight storage container in the fridge forĀ at least 2-3 days.
Nutrition Estimate
This post was originally published May 26, 2019 and has been updated with new photos and more clear recipe instructions.
Siply delicious and easy to make. Very adaptable: you can sub the pasta type, have prosciutto or not to make it vegetarian, plain Mozzarella or marinated. My favorite way to have this salad is with cherry tomatoes! But you could add any juicy tomato. I wouldn’t recommend a paste tomato, you don’t want a heavily fleshy and “dry” tomato for this. Biting into a tomato and having the juice of the tomato fill your mouth with the mozzarella, fresh basil & balsamic vinegar is enough to get my mouth watering as I type this!
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Everything about this salad is just perfect! The flavors go so well together!
I’ve never actually made this a pasta salad before, but the Proscuitto really caught my eye. I bet this would be really good alongside some grilled meats and vegies.
I love the addition of prosciutto here! This is a great salad to make ahead for a weeks worth of tasty lunches!
This would make a perfect side dish to a picnic or bbq! I love how you added proscuitto to this salad!
This sounds amazing. I love that you used proscuitto. It takes it up a level, and the warm weather is begging for some gold salads.
Yum!! This looks delicious!! And perfect to pack for a picnic. Thanks for sharing!