This easy caprese pasta salad recipe steeps cherry tomatoes in a garlic-infused oil that becomes the dressing over any type of pasta with sliced mozzarella, capers, lemon, and basil making it a healthy potluck recipe that’s perfectly ripe for brunch, lunch, or a dinner everyone will love.
This is a re-do of one of my favorite tomato pasta salad recipes I published my first year of blogging. I’ve been making this caprese pasta salad on repeat ever since the clock struck summer, but it’s very likely that many of you haven’t ever even seen it, and that’s a darn shame because it’s just too good to miss. So after looking at it so many times already this summer, I thought it could use a refresh. And so here it is once again, with a spit shine, some new photos, and a video to show you easy it will be for you to make it too. I’m a huge fan of summer’s fresh tomatoes, especially when my garden starts producing my beloved cherry tomatoes I pop straight into my mouth like candy. So back in August of 2011 when I spied this recipe on the Martha Stewart Living cover peeking over the others on the grocery store rack, there wasn’t a question whether the issue would be coming home with me. And that’s why this salad has been in my summer recipe-making-repertoire ever since.
How to Make this Garlic-Marinated Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta Salad
One reason I love this salad so much is that it tastes delicious when served warm (the way Martha suggests), or at room temp (which makes it perfect for taking to a potluck party), or even snacking on it as I stand at the open fridge, with the door swung wide open and the chilled fridge air cooling me down in this summer heat as I eat it straight from the storage container. Thinly slicing the garlic maximizes their flavor when cooked in the oil. I first gently smash the cloves of garlic with the flat side of a chef’s knife to release their perfumey oil (this knife is my favorite) then I slice them thinly on my indispensable hand-held mandoline. Then, the slices of fresh garlic are gently poached until golden in olive oil. Don’t be alarmed at the amount of olive oil this recipe calls for because it’s used to marinate the tomatoes and also serves as the dressing. Same goes for the 1 cup of basil leaves. You’ll be surprised at how much flavor they both impart to the salad. 
What to Serve With This Salad to Make a Meal
- Classic Gazpacho
- Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
- 40 Cloves of Garlic Roast Chicken
- Baby Back Ribs In the Instant Pot
- Grilled Salmon Fillet with Cucumber Dill Sauce
- California-Style Bison Burger
- Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
- Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
- Crispy Parmesan Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
- Classic Three Bean Salad (That’s Really Four)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Pasta Salad with Garlic Marinated Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 5 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves , torn or thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons capers
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest , plus more for sprinkling
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound pasta , cooked al dente (I used bucatini but any pasta will do)
- 8 ounces mozzarella bocconcini balls , sliced in half
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, cook garlic in oil over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes.Let cool.
- Combine the tomatoes, ½ cup basil, capers, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour the garlic oil & chips over tomato mixture, marinate for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Cook the pasta, drain, and add to the bowl with the tomato mixture, bocconcini balls and lemon juice and toss gently. Top with remaining ½ cup basil and additional lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine
More Recipes to Make with Fresh Tomatoes (or just look like them :))
- No-Bake Zucchini Lasagna
- Tomato and Hearts of Palm Salad
- Beer-Marinated Grilled Flank Steak with Peach and Tomato Salsa
- Caprese Tomato Sandwich
- Tomato Avocado Cucumber and Maui Onion Salad
- Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad
- Heirloom Tomato Cookies
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Love this recipe! I saw somewhere in a similar recipe they shaved the garlic on a cheese type grater. Works great! This really is a crowd favorite and the leftovers are fantastic!
I do like my garlic fine and that’s why I like a garlic press. Shaved is great too. Thx for the suggestion!
Question on the caprese pasta salad with garlic marinated tomatoes….sounds delicious. But what “chips” do you mean when you say in #2, second sentence: “Pour the garlic oil and CHIPS over tomato mixture….” ? I’m confused, don’t mean to be dense!!! Do you mean the thinly sliced garlic cloves? That is all I can figure out!!! HELP and thanks.
Hi,
Was wondering if you ever substituted zucchini noodles for the pasta and if so, how much did you use?
Thanks!
Michelle
I love the marinated tomatoes, can’t wait to give this salad a try!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was scrumptious! Perfect summer meal.
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Awesome list again – i had to share with my readers for my monthly newsletter – http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9bc1b5f1c2c1cb8a98f1f3ad5&id=61665afde9&e=5bdcd0f2e5
I so wish I had a bowl of your pasta in the fridge right now!!! Awesome round-up with some very clever recipes – can’t wait to check them out. Thanks for including me – I appreciate it!
Dinner tonight was the Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Focaccia and Easy Roasted Tomatoes and Shrimp with Feta, Oregano and Fennel. I am completely stuffed and very satisfied.
I would recommend both of these recipes to anyone. Thanks
Look at all that amazing tomato love!
Oh, no! Summer is so short and this list is so long. :) I have been stuck in a delicious rut this summer with this tomato, nectarine, and basil salad (sounds weird, tastes divine): http://emmycooks.com/2012/08/11/tomato-and-nectarine-salad-with-basil/ Can’t wait to try some of these before the seasons change!
WOW! Pure eye candy! What an amazing round-up of awesome recipes! And talk about mouth watering pictures… I want to pin them all!
What a beautiful round-up! Love it!
Great pasta recipe, perfect for light summer lunch :D
Such an awesome tomato round-up!
Great round-up! If you truly are tomato crazy, check out this recipe : http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/?s=tomato+strawberry.
Wow!!! This is such a great tomato round up Heidi. I’ll take one of each please :)
So many tomatoes! Love this post, Heidi. Thank you for including one of my recipes! xo
I’m in love with this round-up and craving tomatoes like crazy now. Love your marinated tomato pasta dish, pinned!
Wow, I love this, Heidi!!! Such gorgeous recipes!! Thanks for sharing my recipe too! :)
Thanks for including me Heidi. Beautiful list!!
i’m thinking marinating tomatoes might just make me like them even more!
also, i want one of each dish on here. YUM!
What a lovely and thorough roundup of goodness. Perfect end-of-summer inspiration to wrangle that never ending glut of tomatoes right now. Thanks so much for including a link to one of my recipes too, Heidi :)
I can’t wait to try marinating my tomatoes. I have several tomato plants (no tomato bugs yet) and they are all producing tomatoes at the same time. I’m up to my ears in tomatoes. Thank goodness for all these recipes.
Marinated tomatoes… now why didn’t I think of that? I can’t wait to try this before the tomato season ends. Thanks for the great idea!
I really shouldn’t have read this right now. I am seriously starving all of a sudden. Lovely post, lovely recipes and such lovely people.
Thank you Heidi – now I’m going to sit by the back door and wait for the rain to stop so I can dart to the garden and pick a bunch of tomatoes….this post is awe-inspiring. Gorgeous food by fabulous people. Love it!!
Heather
The pasta with marinated tomatoes is calling out my name the most!! They all look awesome!
Oh and thanks for having me too :) Hugs!
OMG! That is an awesome list – i LOVE LOVE tomatoes and everything you can do with them, i am drooling all over my screen. Going to save, pin and facebook this stuff!!!
awesome girl! What a list
Oh, where to start, where to start. There are so many fantastic recipes on this list and I know I need to start with your pasta with marinated tomatoes. Wow!
Thanks for making me really hungry! All of these look fantastic!
All I want are tomatoes now! I’ve made a handful of these recipes and can vouch for their deliciousness. Next on the list: your pasta with marinated tomatoes!
Becky you’re going to love it. Warning: Could become a new obsession.
Great roundup of tomato recipes! I definitely missed a few of these the first time around.
These are fantastic – thank you!
I am fearing for my husband, who hates tomatoes because after seeing this, I am sooooo in a tomato based dish for dinner every night kind of mood! Thanks for featuring my grilled shrimp gazpacho Heidi!
Husband might become a convert, there’s variety for everyone!
I have just one thing to say: YUM! (And thanks for including me.)
So just a couple tomato recipes, then? WOW – looks amazing!
And please post pics of the H & D event :) Tomatoes are awesome but I wanna see you!
What an amazing post! I love the beautiful tomato recipe finds you dug up. Thanks for including my Chicken Alfredo!
I SOOO want some tomatoes right now….especially your pasta! Garlic, capers, red pepper, CHEESE, tomatoes?!? *sigh*
Pasta, cheese and not on our diet. My last hurrah but what a good one. The tomatoes are also so tasty without the pasta.
This is one serious tomato collection! YUM!
Just wow…they are all so beautiful!!
That is a lot of tomatoes! Where do I start???
Holy roundup! Loved this, and your pasta is the first on my to try list!
Now I’m craving pasta and tomatoes! Thanks for including my tart.
Wow, what a roundup Heidi! Thanks for including me, I can’t wait to check out some of these that I missed. Amazing!
You guys are awesome to create the tomato exchange, love that idea!
What an amazing roundup!!! Thanks so much for including my pizza. I adore your photo of the pasta with marinated tomatoes — sound delightful! :)
That’s a whole lotta tomato recipes! With the farmers market and my measly garden bursting with the gem of a fruit, nice to have an arsenal of recipes to turn to!!
Tomatoooootes. Lovely round-up. Thanks for the inclusion! I hope to see you again some day!
Awesome round up!…but now I want everything!