Caprese Pasta

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A warm caprese pasta with pesto, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil is the perfect quick and easy pasta recipe for a summertime lunch or dinner.

A plate of caprese pasta tossed in pesto with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil

It’s no secret we love pasta. Maybe it’s just the Italian in me talking, but I don’t think I could ever get sick of pasta – especially since there are so many different ways to serve it! That’s why I’m constantly thinking about what new twist on pasta we should try next. Since it’s summer and we’ve been cooking with fresh tomatoes a ton lately, I thought, let’s turn caprese salad into a hot pasta recipe with pesto. And that’s how our caprese pasta was born.

This recipe is so light and fresh and has quickly become one of our favorite summertime lunches and dinners. So if you’re looking for an easy new pasta dish or craving pasta in the warmer months, this recipe is perfect for you! There’s no better way to shake up your dinner rotation than with a delicious Italian meal that’s both super fresh and super easy. 

What This Recipe Entails

Our quick caprese pesto pasta with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes comes together in under 25 minutes.

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 12 minutes

If you’re using store-bought pesto, this recipe comes together as easily as boiling pasta, combining all the ingredients, and serving dinner.

Ingredients

Caprese is traditionally a salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, so we added those components to a delicious hot pasta dish with pesto!

  • Fresh mozzarella balls – Those little balls of fresh mozzarella, sometimes labeled “mozzarella pearls,” are the best for this easy pasta dinner. Slice them into halves or quarters before tossing with the other ingredients.
  • Campari tomatoes – You’ll want to use fresh, ripe tomatoes for the most flavor. We chose juicy, sweet Campari tomatoes for our caprese pasta, but any vine-ripened tomato works well.
  • Fresh basil – Any good caprese salad needs fresh basil, so definitely don’t skip out on this ingredient! We use basil so often now that we have our very own basil plant at home. It’s definitely a worthwhile investment if you like to cook with basil – and know how to keep plants alive 🙂
  • Extra virgin olive oil – There are many kinds of olive oil to choose from, with varying price ranges and flavor profiles. We like to use a mid-range Italian extra virgin olive oil for pasta dishes like this one, where you’ll notice the olive oil but it’s not the main flavor.
  • Sea salt – Just a pinch of salt instantly brightens any dish. We added some salt to our caprese mixture to really bring out all those delicious flavors!
  • Basil pesto – Pesto complements the flavors in caprese salad so well. We like to choose store-bought pestos that have fairly simple, straightforward ingredients for the best flavor. But if you want to make your own, check out our homemade pesto recipe
  • Rotini – Any short pasta works for this recipe (think penne, ziti, even cavatappi), but we recommend rotini! It’s a fun shape with great texture, which helps the pesto really cling to it for tons of flavor in every bite.
Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with rotini pasta and pesto

How To Make Caprese Pasta

Our caprese pesto pasta uses only 6 simple ingredients, takes less than 25 minutes to prepare, and is relatively hands-off which makes it a great weeknight dinner. Here’s all you need to know:

  1. Prep – Make your caprese mixture by combining diced tomatoes, mozzarella pieces, chopped basil, olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt. 
  2. Boil the pasta – Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  3. Add the pesto – Mix pesto into the cooked pasta to thoroughly coat it.
  4. Combine and serve – Add the caprese mixture to the pesto pasta, mix well to combine, and serve!

Serving Suggestions

No matter how you serve it, we hope you enjoy this summer pasta as much as we do. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Caprese pesto pasta on a plate with a fork

Expert Tips

  • Prep for extra flavor – Combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl before cooking the pasta. This is your caprese mixture (which is basically just a caprese salad). You’ll want to let this sit on the counter while the pasta boils so that all the flavors infuse and marinate together.
  • Salt is a must – A pinch of salt can really make a difference! You don’t need a lot, but just a sprinkle in the caprese salad before it rests will help bring out those fresh, juicy summer flavors from the tomato, basil, and mozzarella.
  • And salt the pasta too – Similarly, a pinch of salt in your pasta water can really level up your pasta game. No, you don’t need it – but you’ll taste the difference.
  • Mix the pesto in first – Stir the basil pesto into the hot pasta immediately after draining, then add the caprese salad mixture. This will help the pesto incorporate and you’ll end up with a well-coated, warm pesto pasta.

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these easy pasta recipes, too:

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A plate of caprese pasta tossed in pesto with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil

Caprese Pasta

Nicole Langdon
A warm caprese pasta with pesto, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil is the perfect quick and easy pasta recipe for a summertime lunch or dinner.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 servings
Calories 809 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 7 ounces diced tomatoes
  • 4.5 ounces fresh mozzarella balls halved or quartered
  • ½ ounce fresh basil roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • ½ pound rotini
  • cup basil pesto

Instructions
 

  • First, prepare the caprese mixture. Add diced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, chopped basil, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt to a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini and cook until done, about 12 minutes.
  • Drain the cooked pasta and return to the empty pot, removing it from heat. Add basil pesto and stir thoroughly until pasta is completely coated. Then add the caprese mixture to the pot and gently toss to combine.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

Tomatoes: We like to use Campari tomatoes or vine tomatoes for this recipe – they’re so juicy and flavorful. Make sure to add the juices to the bowl along with the tomatoes after dicing for maximum flavor!
Fresh mozzarella: Those little mozzarella balls you can buy in a tub make this dish easy and fun – simply slice each sphere in half or in quarters, depending on your preference. Alternatively, you can use a larger ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into small pieces.
Tip: Prepare the caprese mixture before cooking the pasta so it has some time to rest. This will allow all the flavors to infuse before these ingredients get added to the final dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 809kcalCarbohydrates: 93gProtein: 32gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 818mgPotassium: 557mgFiber: 6gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2465IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 435mgIron: 3mg
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Keyword basil pesto, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, pasta, rotini, summer, tomatoes

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5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We made this for dinner tonight. It was so tasty! Happy we made a double batch so we can have it again tomorrow!

  2. I’ve never been able to think of rotini by any other name ever since our grandchildren called them “drill bits.”