Strawberry Balsamic Pasta Salad – A quick and easy pasta salad recipe perfect for summer picnics and barbecues! Bowtie pasta topped with fresh strawberries, mozzarella balls, basil, and a thick balsamic glaze. All you need are 5 ingredients to make this simple pasta salad recipe!

Strawberry Balsamic Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is a summer staple at my house.  You can’t pull out the grill to make burgers and hot dogs without putting together a cold pasta salad to go with it! With Memorial Day this coming week, that means it’s time to get the grill going and enjoy a day off from work and school to spend with friends and family.  Now if you are still looking for recipes to make this weekend, then I have you covered! My bacon cheddar stuffed burgers are a favorite of mine and they go great with this strawberry balsamic pasta salad!

Now one of my favorite parts of this pasta salad is how fresh it tastes.  From the fresh strawberries to the fresh mozzarella, it’s light and tastes like summer! This recipe is easy to customize, double, and also is great for making ahead of time! I have just been having this pasta salad for lunch all week with a fresh drizzle of balsamic glaze and it tastes even better than it did the first day now that it has had more time for the flavors to all sink in together!

Common questions about making pasta salad

Do you rinse pasta for a cold pasta salad?

Yes, rinsing the pasta with cold water helps cool down the pasta for a pasta salad.  Usually, pasta salads are served cold so the options for cooling down the pasta are rinsing it in cold water or keeping it in the refrigerator until the pasta completely cools, which does take longer).

Can you make chicken pasta salad?

Yes! To do that, just cook up some chicken, slice it, let it cool, and then add it to the pasta salad before you toss it.  I suggest adding grilled chicken to this pasta salad, it gives it a great flavor.

How do you make a good pasta salad?

Making a good pasta salad is really easy to do, you just boil up pasta, add in the fixings you want, and cover it with the dressing or sauce you plan on using.  The best pasta salads are those that have a few hours to sit and soak in the flavors of the dressing but if you don’t have time (or space in the refrigerator) to store the pasta salad before serving, it will still taste fine.

What dressing is in pasta salad?

Any dressing you want! This one uses a balsamic glaze but here are some other popular dressings for pasta salad:

• Greek
• Balsamic
• Ranch
• Italian
• Caesar
• Bleu cheese
• BBQ sauce
• Pesto

Other tips and tricks on this strawberry balsamic pasta salad recipe

• Some other great additions to this pasta salad include grilled chicken, feta, spinach, and avocado!
• Any pasta shape will do but some of the most popular types for pasta salad include bowties, farfalle, rotini, penne, etc.
• Balsamic glaze is different than balsamic vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar.  It is reduced balsamic vinaigrette and it is much thicker.  If you can’t find balsamic glaze at your grocery store (most have it near the vinegar section), then you can substitute in balsamic vinaigrette.

Can’t get enough of this pasta salad recipe? Try these other recipes!

• Broccoli Cheddar Orzo
• White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
• Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells

Yield: 12 servings

Strawberry Balsamic Pasta Salad

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Strawberry Balsamic Pasta Salad - A quick and easy pasta salad recipe perfect for summer picnics and barbecues! Bowtie pasta topped with fresh strawberries, mozzarella balls, basil, and a thick balsamic glaze. All you need are 5 ingredients to make this simple pasta salad recipe!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lbs pasta, farfalle, rotini, penne, etc
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1 container fresh mini mozzarella balls, or 1 normal fresh mozzarella balls cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic glaze

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the packaging.  Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta has cooled.
2. Combine the cold pasta, strawberries, mozzarella, and basil in a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle the balsamic glaze on top and toss until everything is well coated.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Drizzle with extra balsamic glaze immediately before serving (optional).

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