It’s pasta salad season around here! Grilling vegetables always brings out their flavors and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy them. Eggplant, tomatoes, and Mozzarella are forever a delish combo. Finding those three ingredients in my fridge gave me the idea for this simple summer Grilled Eggplant Caprese Pasta Salad.
Grilled Eggplant Caprese Pasta Salad
I love pasta all year round but the warm summer evenings have me craving cold vegetable-packed pasta salads. I’ve been on a quest to get my kids to eat more vegetables and mixing them into pasta salads seems to work. My son could not get enough of this one.
I have always loved the simple deliciousness of a Summer Caprese Salad. There is nothing better than the sweet and juicy vine-ripened tomatoes of summer paired with fresh mozzarella cheese and a simple dressing. I took that delectable combination and mixed it into a pasta salad and added Grilled Eggplant into the mix.
I grilled both the eggplant and the tomatoes to really bring out their flavors. Then, I simply chopped them and mixed them into a big bowl of pasta. Some fresh mozzarella and basil nicely blend in. With such fresh vegetables like this, only a simple dressing is needed. I tossed in some high-quality extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, a splash of balsamic, and salt and pepper. That’s it! Simple yet oh so tasty. This Grilled Eggplant Caprese Salad can be served at room temperature or made ahead and chilled. Perfect for lunch leftovers the next day. If there is any left that is!
This will surely become one of our summer go BBQ sides. I always love a great pasta salad and I am constantly searching for new varieties to mix it up. Hope you give this one a try!
Grilled Eggplant Caprese Pasta Salad Meatless Monday
A summer BBQ favorite! This Grilled Eggplant Caprese Pasta Salad is a crowd pleaser. Simple and delicious
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz package of Farfalle, Penne or any short pasta-cooked al dente
- 2 small or 1 large eggplant
- 2-3 large vine ripened tomatoes
- 6 ounces of fresh Mozzarella-cut into bite sized pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- dressing:
- juice of one lemon
- olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- fresh basil
Instructions
- prepare pasta according to box and allow to cool
- toss with olive oil and set aside
- coat eggplant and tomatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper
- grill eggplant 5-8 min turning half way
- grill tomatoes for 2 min
- slice veggies and add to pasta
- mix in cheese
- drizzle on lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic
- salt and pepper to taste
- serve room temperature or chill for later
I love Caprese salad! I especially love it with bufala mozzarella.
Mixing it with pasta and eggplant is a great idea!
It’s one of my favorite salads too and the eggplant made it a little more hearty
I just made a Caprese pasta salad this week! No eggplant tho. I’ll have to try it!
It gives it a nice heartiness let me know if you give it a try
I don’t like tomatoes so I don’t eat caprese salad but my family loves it! I’ll have to show them this recipe for when my Dad’s tomato plants start to turn red.
Great thanks!
Yum! This looks so hearty, healthy and yummy. Can’t wait to make it.
Thanks Kim for checking it out
I’m all about pasta, too. I foodfess that I’ve never done anything with eggplant… that needs to change:-) This salad sounds so light & refreshing!
lots of people are afraid to cook with eggplant but I promise, nothing to fear!
Oh, this looks delicious! It’s a perfect refreshing appetizer for the heat of the summer.
Thanks! Hope you give it a try it’s one of my favorites
I love this twist on the caprese salad! And we’re big fans of grilled eggplant too so we’re definitely trying this soon.
oh great I hope you enjoy it too
This looks so good, I’m hungry now. Definitely want to try this, this summer.
OH good that was the idea 🙂
This sounds like such a great summer recipe! I am totally adding this to our list!
Thanks so much hope you enjoy
I’ve never really been an eggplant fan (weird for a vegan I know) but maybe I’ve just never prepared it right. The salad looks delicious and I love cool pasta salads too. And I know that they make vegan fresh mozzarella these days!
Fantastic hope you give it a try. Happy to help out w any eggplant cooking tips 🙂
Eggplant is one of three veggies I don’t do, but this does sound pretty delicious. I always think if I can find the right combo, I’ll learn to love it.
It is funny that people are afraid of eggplant!
Loving this twist! My youngest daughter loves caprese but hasn’t been a fan of eggplant. I think this might convert her and get her to love it as much as I do.
I was excited that my son ate it!
This is fab! I am vegan so I will make this up without any cheese. I am feeling hungry already x
fantastic! hope you will pop back in sometime and check out my other recipes
Yummy! I loooooooooooooooooove eggplant a lot. We had it in our lunches at the company I work for and love eating it!
It’s a great versatile veggie!
I love aubergine! Your salad looks delicious. Perfect for summer x
Thanks so much Kate!
Oh my gosh! What a great summer salad! I have a big eggplant plant in my garden just waiting for this recipe. Love how you grilled it.
Thanks and yes that sounds just perfect. Also jealous that you have eggplant in your own garden. I am so not a green thumb at all
I love how colorful this dish is! This would be the perfect summer meal.
Thanks so much! Hope you give it a try
This looks so delicious! I am always looking for ways to use eggplant, so I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Thanks Angela hope you and your family enjoy it
I’m not usually a huge eggplant fan, but usually in the right recipe it works and this looks delicious! May have to give this one a try!
Thanks so much hope it helps to change your mind about eggplant
With this salad recipe, you can enjoy meatless Monday and also get the delicious flavors of grilling.
Exactly! Thanks for checking it out
This is the perfect summer recipe! This looks so light and full of flavor!
Thanks so much Leslie
I love pasta dishes so that recipe had my name written all over it. I used to not be a fan of eggplant but have figured out ways to make it tasty and not slimy. Grilled all the way for me too. Yummy.
Yes I agree eggplant is so much better grilled
This is such a lovely summer dinner idea. Looks really good. I love the flavors and all the veggies. I will definitely save this and give it a try soon.
Thanks so much hope you enjoy it
Yummmm!! I love eggplant!
Me too it’s great grilled
Thanks for the recipe. It looks so delicious.
Thanks for stopping by!
This is a beautiful salad and seems perfect for a summer day!
Well thanks so much!
Wow! Yummy!!! I have never thought of adding grilled eggplant to a Caprese salad. I love that idea. I sometimes make my own mozzarella (it’s easy) and I have basil plants on my deck. I plan on making a lot of Caprese salads this summer. Thanks for the recipe. I am bookmarking.
Great thanks I hope you enjoy it! Nothing better than fresh tomatoes and mozzarella
Such a perfect dish for the summer!
It is one of our favorites!