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Easy & Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad is light, delicious, and flavorful. This simply dressed salad is a favorite!
My favorite thing about this pasta salad is that it’s lighter, healthier, and filled with veggies. It has a lot of similarities to our Greek Orzo Salad, and our Caprese Pasta Salad recipe which are both some of our favorite pasta salad recipes!
LIGHT + DELICIOUS
Spring and summer time means it is time to break out the salads. I love salads all year long, but something about the warm weather makes me crave them ALL. THE. TIME! Are you with me?
It was a few years ago that I fell in love with the flavor combination of fresh mozzarella pearls, fresh basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes (anyone else a Caprese fan?).
Add all of these together with some orzo pasta and you have today’s recipe—mozzarella pasta salad. With just a small handful of fresh ingredients and a light olive oil dressing, this simple pasta salad recipe is both refreshing and delicious.
The salad is perfect for BBQs or potlucks and can be made pretty quickly, making it a keeper.
Making pasta salad with fresh mozzarella
Pasta salad with fresh mozzarella is so simple and takes just a few steps.
PASTA. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and let cool.
COMBINE. Add the pasta tomatoes, basil, and cheese to a large bowl. Mix.
DRESS + SERVE. Season with garlic salt. Add olive oil and gently mix until evenly coated. Right before serving, add the fresh-cut basil to the top and serve.
Variations
I like the simple Caprese-like ingredients we used for this salad, but you can add in other ingredients to create your favorite combination of flavors and textures. Some add-in ideas include:
- baby spinach, sliced olives, cubed avocado, red onion
- grilled chicken or salami
- a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette or balsamic glaze
- salt and black pepper
- basil pesto
Recipe Tips
Serving size. The ingredient amounts make a hearty meal for a single person or a lighter meal for two. Double (or even triple) the tomato mozzarella pasta salad recipe so that it can be used as a side dish perfect for a backyard BBQ or picnic.
Serve this pasta with pretty much anything! Serve it with grilled meat, sandwiches, or wraps. Some of our favorites include:
Storage Info
Make ahead of time. Make Pasta Salad with Mozzarella Balls ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
STORE leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Add a bit of olive oil to freshen it up if needed.
Recipe FAQ
Orzo pasta looks like rice, but it is pasta and will need to be cooked like any other type of pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (see the package for precise instructions). Drain, rinse, and let it cool before tossing it with the other salad ingredients.
It is a little more expensive, but fresh mozzarella balls (or pearls) really are the best for this recipe! If you can’t find those, I recommend cubing a block of fresh mozzarella. If that’s not an option either, you can cut up mozzarella cheese sticks.
For More tasty pasta salads, try:
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Chinese Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
Mozzarella Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo pasta uncooked
- 6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese balls
- 1/2 cup cherry/grape tomatoes halved
- garlic salt (with parsley flakes) to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup basil fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and let cool.
- Add the pasta tomatoes, basil, and cheese to a large bowl. Mix
- Season with garlic salt. Add olive oil and gently mix until evenly coated.
- Right before serving, add the fresh cut basil to the top and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.
Yes please! This has everything I LOVE in it! Love that you can throw in other fresh veggies too and it would be absolutely delicious!
This mozzarella pasta salad tasted so delicious and really easy to make! Will surely have this again, thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Highly recommended!
These flavors will carry summer time through for all year long! What an incredible difference fresh mozzarella makes!
This salad is so light & refreshing!! This will be enjoyed all year long!
Orzo is a favorite of mine! I love all of the fresh veggies and creamy mozzarella.
This is such a yummy salad! I loved the fresh mozzarella with the fresh tomatoes. It helps the summer season linger in my kitchen just a little longer!
I love this lite pasta salad. Living in Las Vegas during the summer time you are always looking for twists of cold summer meals. This is definitely a keeper.
Thank you!! Especially, here in AZ too! It’s refreshing!
Hi Kristyn,
I LOVE your headshot – you are beautiful! However, whenever you have a new post, it shows up in my feedly (blog reader) for each of your posts no matter what the subject is. Most of the other blogs I follow have a picture having to do with that post. I am a blog hoarder so I do a lot of skimming and I am a picture person so it would help if you could change it to show a picture from the post. Not sure how to do it but I thought I would mention. You have a lot of great stuff!
Your photos are making my mouth water! I am going to have to make this when I can start harvesting basil from the garden. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Haha…this recipe is definitely mouth watering! Fresh basil from the garden is the best. Enjoy!
What a quick and easy salad! Perfect for summer dinners when it’s too hot to do much cooking!
It is definitely a quick and easy recipe!! It is also so good and perfect for summer! Hope you give it a try.