Bow tie pasta with grape tomatoes, basil, artichokes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and a light, flavorful homemade basil vinaigrette.
You know the phrase “better late than never”?? Well….I’m thinking that’s our family’s catch phrase….at least for the time being! We cannot, for the life of us, get anywhere on time anymore. And rather than make ourselves crazy over it, I think we just need to embrace it!
Of the two plans we had this past weekend, we were late to both. And not fashionably late…..like 10-15 minutes…..but late late (like 45-60 minutes)! It’s good for me, actually. It’s humbling. Because for the longest time I took pride in having 3 kids and still usually showing up on time. I felt like all it took was a little advanced preparation!
Well….advanced preparation doesn’t hurt…..but it’s definitely no guarantee. There are still last minute tantrums and feedings and grocery trips and diaper changes….not to mention the fact that I’m not always up for getting ready in advance these days. So when we’re running late from now on, I’m just going to tell myself, “Better late than never”….and I’m going to hope I can really believe it!
It’s kinda like this pasta salad….which I first posted over a year ago now on one of the sites I contribute to. For some reason, I have yet to post it here! But you know what they say…..better late than never, right??
Caprese Artichoke Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1/2 pound 1/2 box bow tie pasta
- 1 8 oz. package fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 1/2 c. fresh basil torn
- basil vinaigrette to taste
Fresh Basil Vinaigrette
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- 1/3 c. white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. minced red onion
- 1 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
- 1/2 clove minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Salad
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Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.
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Pour drained, cooled pasta into a large mixing bowl. Add fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, and basil vinaigrette.
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Mix thoroughly to combine.
Dressing
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Mix all ingredients until thoroughly blended.
Be sure to check out these other delicious side salad recipes!
Julie @ Tastes of Lizzy T says
I love how fresh this salad is! Sounds like a good lunch to me! 🙂
Jacki @ Two Forks One Love says
I was having dinner with a friend this weekend and she showed up 30 minutes late for our reservation. It gave me a chance to have a glass of wine and decompress. I cut her some slack, she has two kids. Me personally being late though? No excuse. I HATE being late for things.
Yvonne says
Being late has always been very stressful for me. I know that there are so many unavoidable reasons for it, but I just always feel anxious when I’m running late. I don’t look forward to the way things are about to change in my life with respect to it as well. You just never know with little ones what will happen.
Laura @PetiteAllergyTreats says
We’re all late at some point, right? I hate it but that’s just to be expected with kids! Love this refreshing salad! (And I totally want your pot!)
Jess says
The perfect way to use up some garden fresh tomatoes and basil! My family loves this flavor combo so it will be a great end of Summer pasta salad to serve up before the craziness of the new school year! Yummy!
Tonia says
I have a really hard time being late! I still have nightmares about being late to school or class. This salad sounds fantastic, though!
Cindy+Eikenberg says
Cathy, I just love pasta salads and am always excited to add a new one to my list. The flavors in this sound just delicious! Pinning and sharing – have a wonderful Tuesday!
Jamie+@+Love+Bakes+Good+Cakes says
This salad has some of my favorite ingredients, Cathy! Can’t wait to try it!