Cold Caprese Pasta Salad for a Summertime Barbecue

This post is sponsored by ALDI.

Justin and I really enjoy entertaining. I grew up watching my mom throw parties throughout the years, and have come to really love doing the same in my home.

With a backyard pool, our favorite time to have friends over is in the summer. We usually try to keep the food pretty simple, but still delicious, and let people swim for however long they want to until they grab their plate and sit down to eat.

We had plans with some friends the other night, so I headed over to ALDI to pick up all the ingredients I needed for dinner.

If you’ve either been to ALDI or read my other posts you should know that their prices are fantastic. And since I’ve been shopping at ALDI, I now have a few favorites that I get every single time I go, like the Specially Selected Aged Reserved White Cheddar. There is none better, consider yourself warned.

For this recent shopping trip, I grabbed everything from the SimplyNature Organic 100% Grass Fed Ground Beef to the watermelon and raspberries. I needed fresh mozzarella for the pasta salad and picked up two different containers, Priano Fresh Mozzarella in water and another Priano Fresh Mozzarella in Marinade. I added both to the salad, but kept a few extra pieces of the Priano Fresh Mozzarella in Marinade to eat for the rest of the week.

ALDI also has some extras that I needed for entertaining as well, like grilling tools and other seasonal items for summertime!

Cold Caprese Pasta Salad 

25 Minutes Prep Time, serves 6-8

Basil Dressing:

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 oz fresh basil, sliced into thin strips

3/4 cup Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the Pasta Salad:

1 pound Priano Pipe Rigate pasta, cooked al dente (about 11-13 minutes)

1 pint Redsun Organic Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

10 oz Priano Fresh Mozzarella in Water, sliced in half

Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, then set aside to cool. While the pasta is boiling, slice up cheese, tomatoes, onion, and basil. Once pasta is cool, toss all the ingredients together then top with the Basil Dressing. Allow pasta salad to sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavor can develop. An optional step would be to top the salad with Specially Selected Balsamic Vinegar.

I love the combination of flavors in this pasta salad, and it’s the perfect summer dish because it’s cold! You could also make this a full meal in itself by adding grilled chicken to it!

Usually while I’m inside cooking, Justin’s out at the grill. He happened to master flipping a burger in the air this evening and was pretty pleased that it was caught on camera!

With the Fourth of July coming soon, make sure you save this recipe to make for any entertaining you’ll be doing. And while you are at ALDI picking out the ingredients, be sure to check out the fresh produce and bakery section. The Village Bakery Apple Fritters are dangerously good.