Side dishe for 8

Caprese Pasta Salad (8 servings)

Name: Caprese Pasta Salad (8 servings)
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 16 oz rigatoni pasta; 3 cups packed baby spinach; 1 pint cherry tomatoes; 8 oz mozzarella pearls; 2 tbsp chopped basil; 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional); 2 cups cooked; 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tsp dijon mustard; 1/4 tsp salt; 2 small avocados; 1/2 cup basil pesto; 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt; 1/2 cup milk plus more as needed (optional); 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper

$6.15for 415 minServes 8

This caprese pasta salad tosses rigatoni, spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella, and avocado with a creamy pesto dressing.

Photo: carlsbadcravings.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Pasta, 16 oz$0.10/oz typical	16 oz	$1.60Typical price
	Spinach, 3 oz$0.35/oz typical	3 oz	$1.05Typical price
	Cherry and grape tomatoes, 11 oz$0.30/oz typical	11 oz	$3.18Typical price
	Mozzarella, 8 oz$0.30/oz typical	8 oz	$2.40Typical price
	Fresh herbs (cilantro, 0.25$1.49 each typical	0.25	$0.46Typical price
	Nuts and seeds, 0.5 oz$0.70/oz typical	0.5 oz	$0.39Typical price
	Avocados, 2$1.29 each typical	2	$2.58Typical price
	Sour cream, 2.25 oz$0.14/oz typical	2.25 oz	$0.30Typical price
	Milk, 2.25 oz$0.04/oz typical	2.25 oz	$0.09Typical price
	Juice, 0.5 oz$0.04/oz typical	0.5 oz	$0.02Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$12.30

Swaps

Swap mozzarella for cheddar and shredded cheeseabout the same price
Swap sour cream for yogurtabout $0.02/oz less at typical prices
Swap milk for almondabout $0.01/oz more at typical prices
Swap pasta for egg noodlesabout $0.04/oz more at typical prices

Pantry staples you likely have

VinegarMustard, mayo, ketchup

Not included in the cost.

15 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
8servings as written
$typical cost tier

Italian Kid-friendly Budget Side dishes No-cook Back to school Summer

Typical price

$1.54 per serving$6.15 for 4

City Store

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

16 oz rigatoni pasta
3 cups packed baby spinach
1 pint cherry tomatoes
8 oz mozzarella pearls
2 tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
2 cups cooked
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
2 small avocados
1/2 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk plus more as needed (optional)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Steps

Whisk the pesto, yogurt, milk, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Halve the tomatoes and dice the avocados.
Add the cooked rigatoni, spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and avocados to the bowl.
Toss the salad with the dressing until evenly coated.
Fold in the pine nuts if using and chill the salad for 5 minutes.