Off the record, I call this one “poor man’s Caprese salad” because it’s based on Caprese salad, but with all the budget swaps I’ve made, I don’t think I can get away with calling that anymore. 😅 Regardless of what you call it, this Tomato Mozzarella Pasta Salad with homemade Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette is super light and refreshing, and just about the only thing I want to eat in this super hot 95+ degree weather. 🥵 You feel me?
This Tomato Mozzarella Pasta Salad will be a hit at any potluck, but also holds up really well in the refrigerator (undressed), making it a great meal prep or refrigerator salad for the week. Plus, there’s plenty of room for customization, so read on for some ideas for making this salad your own.
Salad Dressing Options
I went with a creamy Parmesan version of my Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette for this salad, but you can change up this dressing a few ways to make it match your dietary needs. First, you can totally skip the Parmesan if you want to keep the salad vegetarian. If you can’t have or don’t want mayo, this dressing is also super awesome when you leave the mayo out, but I do like how the mayo mellows the flavors and makes it slightly creamy. If balsamic vinegar isn’t your favorite, you could also try a dressing like my tangy Tomato Basil Vinaigrette. And lastly, you can make things super easy on yourself and use a store-bought balsamic vinaigrette or even Italian dressing, if that’s what you have on hand.
About That Mozzarella…
Fresh mozzarella is the best for this salad, but it can also be quite pricey. I was lucky enough to find a large 16 oz. log of fresh mozzarella today for a really good price (I’ll be freezing the other half), so I used that. But if you can’t find a good deal on fresh mozzarella, whole milk mozzarella in either block or stick form will also work. And yes, by “stick form” I mean cheese sticks. I’ve totally diced up mozzarella sticks to use in this salad before! Not elegant, but it worked with my budget!
Vegetable Options
Grape tomatoes are cute, but if you can’t find them for a good price, feel free to dice a regular tomato in their place (you’ll want about 1.5 cups diced tomatoes). This is a great place to take advantage of fresh local tomatoes that will really give the salad a big flavor punch. Red onions also work well with these flavors if you have some to use up, as do bell peppers or cucumbers.
Tomato Mozzarella Pasta Salad
Servings 6 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 8 oz. bowtie pasta ($0.67)
- salt for pasta water ($0.02)
- 3 cups fresh spinach ($1.20)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($2.50)
- 8 oz. mozzarella* ($2.60)
Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil ($0.55)
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.41)
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise ($0.17)
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan ($0.22)
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.09)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.01)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and add two large pinches of salt. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander, give it a brief rinse with cool water, and let it drain well while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- While waiting for the pasta to cook, prepare the rest of the salad. Start with the Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar or blender. Either blend until combined or shake your jar until the ingredients are well combined. Set the dressing aside until needed.
- Roughly chop the spinach and slice the grape tomatoes in half. Dice the mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Add the spinach, tomatoes, and mozzarella to a large bowl. Once the pasta is well drained and mostly cool, add it to the bowl with the mozzarella and vegetables. Make sure the pasta is no longer hot, so it doesn't wilt the spinach or melt the cheese.
- Toss the ingredients to combine. If serving the salad later, store it like this without dressing. If serving immediately, add half of the dressing and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Tomato Mozzarella Pasta Salad – Step by Step Photos
Begin by cooking 8 oz. bowtie pasta. You can prepare everything else for the salad in the time it takes the pasta to cook. Fill a pot with water, add two large pinches of salt, place a lid on top, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse briefly with cool water, then let it drain very well.
Next, make the Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to either a blender or jar (1/3 cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan, 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper). Blend the ingredients until emulsified, or shake your jar until the ingredients are combined.
Roughly chop about 3 cups of fresh spinach.
Slice one pint of grape tomatoes in half.
Dice 8 oz. fresh mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes. I froze the other half of the cheese (the part still in the wrapper on the left) for later.
Add the spinach, tomatoes, and mozzarella to a large bowl.
Once the pasta is well-drained and mostly cool, add it to the bowl. Make sure the pasta is not hot so you don’t wilt the spinach or melt the cheese. Toss the salad to combine the ingredients.
If you’re planning to eat the salad later, store it at this point, without dressing, in a resealable container. The salad will stay good this way for 3-4 days.
Or, if you plan to serve it now, add about half of the dressing and toss the salad again to coat it in the dressing. Add more dressing as desired.
This is great recipe I have made for several years. Just had it twice in the last week. First time was at vacation house where I was feeding big crowd in a hurry. I skipped making the dressing and instead used off the shelf basalmic dressing and added mayo. Good, but not as great as the recipe dressing. Made it at home with actual recipe dressing and added in diced pepperoni. Delicious!
This was a smash hit at a potluck! I used a storebought balsamic vinaigrette and subbed about 1/2 c. fresh basil for an equal amount of spinach, and it was AWESOME. A perfect summer recipe – takes advantage of peak tomato season, easy to prep ahead, keeps well, and delicious at room temperature.
This is so good I almost ate it for breakfast this morning! And my 9 year old son liked it more than the grilled chicken that we had with it. :)
This mozzarella pasta made my day.
How long will the salad dressing last on its own?
Thoughts on subbing fresh basil for the spinach? I have so much in my garden right now. Would it be too overpowering?
Three cups of basil is A LOT of basil. You might want to go half and half with that sub, or make a pesto instead. For every cup of basil leaves, blend in 1 tablespoon pine nuts or walnuts, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and one clove of garlic. Salt to taste.
This was excellent! I always thought that pasta salads were so boring and bland until I tried this recipe. My entire family loved it – including my son’s 12 year old friend. Added some roasted pine nuts and some fresh basil, just because I had on hand. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Will definitley make it many more times.
This is a very good recipe. I served it with barbecued chicken breast, but it could easily be a main dish. It was very easy to make, and I had most of the ingredients on hand.
This is one of my very favorite pasta salads – so simple, but so perfect!! I skip making the homemade dressing (my local grocery store carries a delicious creamy balsamic) so it goes together so quickly. So good!!!!
Oh my gosh, this was phenomenal! Didn’t change a thing. I ate an obscene amount and can’t wait for the leftovers. I may need to make more dressing as I’m not sure it will last for how much salad is left. This is definitely going on the regular rotation!
I made this last week and it was so good that I had to make it again today! It has been really hot here so this is a perfect filling dinner to make since it doesn’t require much heat. I do end up making a little more of the vinegarette. Do not skip the fresh mozzarella!! I use the Trader Joe’s fresh mozzarella log and cut it into cubes.