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Caprese Pasta

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This caprese pasta with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil is the perfect speedy dinner – only a handful of ingredients and ready in 15 minutes!

Caprese Pasta Recipe | Easy Pasta Recipe | Fresh Tomato Pasta | Caprese Recipe

Caprese pasta with fresh diced tomatoes, mozzarella balls and thinly sliced basil.

Who is loving tomato season? I sure am! We plant a garden every year and the one thing I must absolutely have is at least half a dozen tomato plants. The older girls are old enough now to know not to pick the tomatoes until they’re ripe, and they run to the garden every day to check on their progress. Once the tomatoes are even somewhat ripe they beg to eat them every day until finally I agree. Not many tomatoes actually make it from the yard into the house to cook with, but oh well, that’s what the farmer’s market is for, right? I can’t complain too much because they’re enthusiastically eating produce, got to take advantage of that while it lasts! Whether you grow your own or buy them at the store, this recipe for caprese pasta is a simple way to enjoy tomatoes.

A pan of angel hair caprese pasta topped with olive oil, tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella.

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I use angel hair (also known as capellini) pasta for this caprese pasta – it’s like an ultra thin spaghetti and it cooks in about 5 minutes or less.

A pan of caprese pasta with angel hair pasta, olive oil, fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

This pasta has all the ingredients of a classic caprese salad – fresh mozzarella, olive oil, basil and tomatoes, with a little garlic for extra zing. When you make this, be sure to let the noodles cool for a few minutes before you add the mozzarella. You want the mozzarella to soften but if it gets too hot it’ll completely melt and make your pasta clumpy and stringy.

So minimal ingredients. Fifteen minutes. And you won’t have to turn on your oven on a hot summer day. Sold? I sure am. I will be repeating this all summer long, both as a meatless main course and an easy side dish. Maybe I can even convince the girls to hand over some of our garden tomatoes this year!

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This post was originally published on April 23, 2015 and was updated with new photos on August 9, 2017.

Caprese pasta with fresh diced tomatoes, mozzarella balls and thinly sliced basil.
5 from 4 votes
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Quick and Easy Caprese Pasta

A simple quick and easy caprese pasta with just a few ingredients. You can make it from start to finish in 15 minutes.

Course Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword caprese pasta, mozzarella pasta
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 368 kcal
Author Dinner at the Zoo

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces angel hair pasta
  • 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 6 ripe tomatoes I used roma, cored, seeded and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or equal parts dried basil, parsley and oregano)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain.

  2. Meanwhile, in a heavy large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and saute just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cheese and basil, and toss to coat. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve.

Nutrition Facts
Quick and Easy Caprese Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 368 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 246mg 10%
Potassium 452mg 13%
Total Carbohydrates 48g 16%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 5g
Protein 16g 32%
Vitamin A 27.7%
Vitamin C 21.2%
Calcium 22%
Iron 7.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Comments

  2. Sara,
    You big tease–I just got back from checking the garden and there’s frost on the grass. Frost!
    I’m drooling over these ripe tomatoes and I haven’t even gotten my plants in the ground yet! [Ok, rather glad not to have plants in the ground that would have been killed by frost.]
    I have been saving my eggshells, so I’m set when it’s time to plant.

    This looks like a perfect recipe for summer, and I look forward to our tomatoes!
    Thanks!

    Reply

  8. This looks like a perfect summer meal! I grew up watching my dad and grandpa grow tomato plants with incredible attention to every variable and detail. It became an art for the…no surprise, I love tomatoes! And I’m happy to see my 3yo does too. Makes me proud 🙂 Thanks for the easy recipe!

    Reply

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