Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
bitememore
- Serves
- 8
Tis the season for this incredible Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad, a tasty mash up of a traditional Caprese salad with a creamy Pesto pasta salad. With tomatoes and basil at their prime, the fresh flavors combined with homemade pesto perfection make this pasta salad a super-easy and gourmet way to bring sunshine to the table.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil, gently packed, stems removed
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup mini bocconcini cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh basil, to garnish
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Directions
- Step 1
For the pesto, place the basil, garlic, almonds, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process 10 seconds to chop. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream until mixture is smooth, about 20 seconds. Add the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise and white balsamic vinegar, processing just until incorporated.
- Step 2
For the pasta, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until tender, drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Let cool slightly.
- Step 3
Toss pesto with cooked pasta, tomatoes and bocconcini. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish serving bowl with fresh basil.