Caprese Pasta Salad (with Avocado!)
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5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
Caprese Pasta Salad (with Avocado!)
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This will be one of the tastiest pasta salads you've tried! It's packed with mini pasta, fresh mozzarella pears, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh avocados and a tasty balsamic glaze. In other words lots of fresh exciting flavors here!
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Ingredients
Pasta salad
- 10 oz. (2 3/4 cups) mini penne pasta shells
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 small avocados, diced (they should be fairly firm but ripe)
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, then more for serving to taste (use white balsamic vinegar for better coloring if desired)
Pesto
- 1 cup (18g) slightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Finely shredded parmesan, plus more for serving if desired
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to directions on package. Drain and let cool completely.
- In a food processor pulse 1 cup basil leaves, parmesan, pine nuts, and garlic until minced. Pour in olive oil and process until everything is finely minced. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta and tomatoes to a salad bowl. Pour basil (pesto) mixture over pasta and tomatoes and toss to evenly coat.
- Add in avocados, mozzarella, basil (set some aside to garnish over top if desired), and pour in balsamic vinegar and toss just lightly.
- Serve immediately with more balsamic vinegar and parmesan if desired.
Notes
- If you can't find mozzarella pearls, you can cut up a large ball of fresh mozzarella.
- Fresh basil is a must in this recipe, dried cannot be substituted.
- Recipe source: Cooking Classy
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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