I'm back from vacation, which ended with fantastic days in Verona. A total of 3 wonderful weeks in Italy this summer, and my notebook is full of inspiration for what I want to create throughout the fall! 😍

Insalata Caprese is something I ate almost every day in Italy. Here comes a pasta salad with the same pure flavors from tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil. In addition, I've added red onion, spring onion, avocado, and shaved parmesan. The salad is tossed together with a flavorful balsamic dressing.

 

 

The recipe serves 6.

 

Ingredients: 

Pasta salad:
♥ 500 g pasta (tofette or other varieties, see tips)
♥ 500 g sweet cherry tomatoes
♥ 500 g mozzarella balls
♥ 1 pot fresh basil
♥ 0.5 red onion
♥ 2 spring onions
♥ 2 avocados
♥ 50 g parmesan, shaved

Balsamic dressing: 
♥ 1 dl extra virgin olive oil
♥ 0.5 dl balsamic vinegar (see tips)
♥ 1 tsp dried oregano
♥ 2 tbsp heavy cream
♥ ground salt and pepper

 

Method: 

Pasta salad: 

Gather the ingredients. 

 

 

Cook the pasta in well-salted, boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain and toss some oil into the pasta so it doesn't stick together.

 

 

Place the pasta in a large salad bowl. 

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Add them to the salad bowl along with drained mozzarella balls and basil leaves. Thinly slice the red onion and chop the spring onion. Dice the avocado.

 

 

Add these to the salad bowl as well. 

 

Balsamic dressing:

Combine the oil and balsamic vinegar. Stir in dried oregano and heavy cream. Season with ground salt and pepper. 

 

 

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss the salad well. 

Garnish the salad with shaved parmesan flakes on top. 

 

 

Let the salad sit in a cool place for 30 minutes before serving so that the flavors can develop. 

 

 

Tips: 

♥ Here, I used fine pasta shells (called tofette in Italian), but it's equally fine to use pasta in other shapes like pasta spirals (fusilli), pasta bows (farfalle), or pasta tubes (penne). 

♥ Small mozzarella balls (called "Bocconcini" which means "small mouthfuls" in Italian) can be found in well-stocked grocery stores, including Meny and Coop Mega. 

♥ I used here a slightly sweet type of balsamic vinegar with a hint of cherry flavor. This is by no means necessary, so use the balsamic vinegar you have. You might also flavor the dressing with a small teaspoon of liquid honey if the vinegar you're using isn't sweet. 

 

 

♥ This pasta salad should stand a bit before serving so that the pasta can absorb flavors from the dressing. 

♥ For more pasta salad variations, click HERE. 

 

 

Buon appetito! 

 

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥