Onward!
Pasta salad is under-appreciated. Rarely does it get the attention it deserves. It’s always the ‘eh’ on the side of a juicy burger, the afterthought placed on the side of your plate because you don’t have any other choice. I mean really, can you honestly remember having any truly amazing, memorable pasta salads in your lifetime? I think I’ve had maybe one, from a (now-closed) deli where I grew up, and even then it’s more Taylor’s memory of that pasta salad that I’ve latched on to, as I can’t even recall what was in it. Some memory, huh?
I’m dead set on changing that, and this caprese-inspired pasta salad is a sure start. It’s got a tangy white-balsamic and basil dressing, and dotted with bright cherry tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and salty capers to top it all off. Pasta salad has a tendency to be very bland, and if you’ve ever tried to make it using a typical salad dressing you may have discovered that. So while straight out the food processor this dressing may seem overly pungent with white balsamic vinegar and shallot, once it’s intermixed with the pasta the balance is just right. And a note about white balsamic vinegar – sure, you could use regular balsamic, but the color is going to be rather muddy. The white balsamic doesn’t have quite the same rich notes as your regular balsamic does, but it’s got its own unique character and will keep the dressing bright and vibrant green.
