Gluten Free Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
Once upon a time, a caprese salad, bursting with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella met up with a gluten free pasta salad. They fell instantly in love.
The resulting love child of this auspicious union was the gluten free caprese pasta salad.
A love story if ever I heard one.
Gluten Free Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 352kcal
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package gluten free rice pasta - (shells, elbows or spirals)
- 1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves - use divided
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil - (maybe a tad more)
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes - halved
- 6 ounces bocconcini - (small mozzarella balls), quartered
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in heavily salted water 1 or 2 minutes less than the package instructions until just al dente. Drain well and put the pasta into a large serving bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking combine 1 cup of the basil with the garlic, finely grated lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until the basil is finely minced and the mixture is combined. Take the plastic insert from the top of the blender out and slowly stream in the olive oil with the machine running. You want a thick dressing but not as thick as mayonnaise. If the mixture is too thick, add more olive oil.
- Once the pasta is cooked and drained pour the dressing over the warm pasta. Toss well and let cool.
- Roll the remaining basil leaves up like a cigar and cut into thin slices with a sharp knife. When the pasta has cooled, add the basil, tomatoes and bocconcini. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour or up to two days. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 352
Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 174mg7%
Potassium 172mg5%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 730IU15%
Vitamin C 16mg19%
Calcium 93mg9%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.
Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
Looks great, Carol! I’m going to make it with some homemade almond feta–yum! :D
Yum! I am making this this weekend!
Thanks Ricki and Donna!
Yes, some recipes are just meant to be :)
How right you are!
Looks amazing! It is love at first sight for me!
Thanks, glad you agree :)
What brand pasta do you use? The ones I have enjoyed do not hold the right texture when they are cold- they are best when hot/warm. Does the brand you use make the noodles super firm when cold, or are they soft like wheat based noodles?
I personally only like Tinkyada brand, either the brown or white rice variety and I under it cook it for just a minute or two and then let it sit warm in the dressing. I actually don’t cook it as al dente when serving cold as I would when serving hot. So after the pasta absorbs the dressing it is more the consistency as if fully cooked.
Pingback: Weekly Gluten-Free Roundup – September 4, 2011 « Celiac Kitchen Witch
Drizzle some balsamic vinegar on it and I’m in heaven! Delicious!!!
Pingback: Your Questions About Wheat Free | Gluten Free Guide
Pingback: Pasta Salad Combos « Keep Your Diet Real
Pingback: Gluten Free Quick & Easy Caprese Tarts Recipe | Simply Gluten Free