This caprese pasta with tomatoes, mozzarella and arugula is the perfect speedy lunch or dinner – only a handful of ingredients and ready in 15 minutes!
How do you make caprese pasta?
I use Protein+ rotini or penne pasta for this caprese pasta – it cooks fast and adds extra protein to the meal. Feel free to try Protein+ angel hair pasta as well for a thinner spaghetti.
This pasta has all the ingredients of a classic caprese salad – fresh mozzarella, basil or arugula and tomatoes, and then transformed with a creamy pesto sauce. 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.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces protein pasta
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or mozzarella balls)
- 1 cup sliced cherry/grape tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh arugula (can sub fresh basil)
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 2 tbsp pesto sauce
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or equal parts dried basil, parsley and oregano)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain.
- Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, red onion, and pesto sauce. Toss to coat entire pasta. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Serve warm or cold.
