Friday, May 22, 2009

Caprese Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette



I hopped over to see what beautiful cakes Patricia over at ButterYum had been making recently, and was slightly confused when I saw a gorgeous pasta salad instead. I had to double check her pink background to make sure I was at the right place! I guess cake decorators need to eat more than just cake to survive.

Trying to get through a huge Costco sized bag of Meyer lemons, I made the lemon vinaigrette from Giada’s Family Dinners for the dressing. Patricia likes to use her favorite bottled balsamic vinaigrette, which sounds excellent as well.

Lemon Vinaigrette

2 teaspoons finely grated lemons zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed to wet pasta

Blend the lemon zest and juice, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette to taste with more salt and pepper.

Pasta
1 pound cappelletti (Hat shaped pasta)
1/2 pound diced ripe tomatoes
16 ounce tub fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
Lemon vinaigrette
Lots of fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the cappelletti according to the directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Move the pasta to a large serving bowl and toss together with the rest of the ingredients.

Notes: I rewrote the recipe so the above picture could be copied, but this recipe idea belongs to Patricia from ButterYum. Visit her picture by picture instructions at http://butteryum.blogspot.com/2009/04/caprese-pasta-salad-basil-tomato.html

Lemon vinaigrette recipe belongs to Giada De Laurentiis. Picture and write-up by Laura Flowers.


24 comments:

Risa said...

I love all yours posts and this one is no exception!

Sherri Murphy said...

This looks like a new favorite!

The Cooking Photographer said...

Thank-you Risa and Sherri.

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Hi Laura - thanks for writing about my favorite pasta salad! I can't wait to try your lemon vinaigrette... sounds divine! Wish I could find your cute little mozzarella 'pearls'. I can get bocconcini, but they are too big (and sometimes they taste a little off). I like your choice of cappelletti too - I'll have to look for that shape. I'm a sucker for pastas... I go on vacation and bring home pasta shapes I can't find here.

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Oh, love your photo too!!! (as usual)

Marta said...

Laura this looks lovely! I'm so delighted to see a pasta salad the way it should be: dressed up with a vaniagrette and with tons of veggies! I cannot stand the mayo-drenched versions with the soggy macaroni... This looks light, elegant and perfect for a potluck backyand party :)

The Cooking Photographer said...

MARY!!!

If you come by please read this. I can't get onto your site from any of the three computers in my house. I've been trying for a couple days with no luck. I wanted to let you know in case others were having this problem.

Laura

Mary Bergfeld said...

Laura, this is Mary from One Perfect Bite. I don't think anyone else is having problems. Can you describe what is happening --- my email address is oneperfectbite(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Lisa said...

This is a beautiful pasta dish. Your photo is inspiring!

Creative Classroom Core said...

I am totally making this this summer! Bookmarked!

La Table De Nana said...

I too love YOUR blog..where on earth did you find Mozzarella pearls?
I love them! What a beautiful salad.I worked w/ lemons today:)

The Cooking Photographer said...

I found a tub of them at Costco. They were such cute little things.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I love those pasta dish at this time of the year. Perfect for lunch or picnic.

Jamie said...

You will not believe this : yesterday I was strolling around town with hubby and it was the first really warm day. I said "This warm weather makes me dream of and crave Nonna Anna's fabulous pasta dish - warm pasta tossed with chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped basil and mozzarella. Simple but oh so perfect!" and here you are with an amazing salad almost the same! But I love that you tossed it with a lemon vinaigrette! I will be making this soon.

Elizabeth said...

We love caprese in our house - we have never tried a pasta though! This looks great!

Pink Little Cake said...

Hi Laura the salad dressing looks fabulous. Ok, I am going to need your help.. PLEASE. Next weekend I will have a BBQ at my house for my birthday. We are making grilled cheddar burguers with applewood smoked bacon, hot dogs and brown sugar grilled chicken.( I am not that smart to come up with the idea, I got it from my Wegmans magazine) I will need two side dishes that can go with all the food, I just don't know what and I don't want to make a boring green salad. Do you have any easy to prepare and delicious suggestion for me? you can write me at castrokm@hotmail.com Thank you so much.

The Cooking Photographer said...

Hi Kathia,

I just sent an email your way. I hope it helps.

Laura

Monique said...

Thank you! I have a Costco I will check for certain..My next time there..

Sweet Bird said...

Caprese pasta salad sounds outstanding right now. I always feel bereft when basil's not in season - I think this is a perfect recipe to celebrate the fresh basil I just found at Whole Foods!

Jackie @PhamFatale.com said...

Love your choice of pasta. It looks so fancy in this Caprese salad.

Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer said...

Now this is a pasta salad I could really dig my fork into!! What a wonderful combination and that lemon vinaigrette - WOW

Zoe said...

oooh! I love this one! You have a great collection of recipes here and photos!

The Cooking Photographer said...

Thank-you Zoe!

Anonymous said...

I made this last night for a girls night party. It was a hit! Everyone loved it...and I can't wait to make it again. So easy! So delicious!

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