Tortellini Caprese Salad (Printable)
Tender tortellini tossed with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil in balsamic dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz cheese tortellini, fresh or refrigerated
→ Vegetables & Herbs
02 - 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 4 oz fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), halved
04 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
→ Dressing
05 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
06 - 1½ tbsp balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar
07 - 1 garlic clove, minced
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How To Cook:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain well, then rinse under cold running water until completely cooled.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled tortellini, halved cherry tomatoes, halved bocconcini, and torn basil leaves.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze (or vinegar), minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
04 - Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad and toss gently until all ingredients are well coated.
05 - Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The balsamic glaze pools into the tortellini folds and creates these little bursts of sweetness that catch you off guard in the best way.
- It comes together in under 25 minutes with zero cooking intuition required, which makes it my reliable bring along for last minute cookouts.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the tortellini under cold water, because hot pasta will melt the mozzarella into a gummy mess and wilt the basil into dark, sad ribbons.
- Adding the dressing while the tortellini is still slightly warm helps it absorb more flavor, so timing the cool down to just under room temperature is the sweet spot I discovered after making this dozens of times.
03 -
- Taste a tomato before you commit to the batch, because out of season cherry tomatoes can be bland and you may need an extra splash of balsamic to compensate.
- Letting the salad sit uncovered at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving takes the chill off and lets the basil perfume the whole bowl.