Low FODMAP caprese pasta salad with homemade pesto. A fresh, simple and healthy recipe. The ideal meal to take to work on a hot day.
I’m a big fan of cold pasta we can easily prepare for a packed lunch. It’s also a good option for a light meal on a hot day.
This low FODMAP caprese pasta salad with homemade pesto combines two of my favorite Italian recipes!
- The caprese salad, a simple Italian salad served as a starter. It is made with fresh sliced mozzarella cheese, tomato and basil and seasoned with salt, oregano, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s low FODMAP! For this recipe, I opted for cherry tomatoes and mini mozzarella.
- Pesto, an Italian sauce used in pasta and other dishes. It is made with basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil. It also freezes well. See here how to freeze pesto and use it for later.
Is pesto low FODMAP?
One of the main ingredients in traditional pesto is garlic, which is high in FODMAP. The parmesan cheese, although not yet tested, is allowed. This is because it has less than 1g of lactose per serving, so it is low FODMAP. I recommend you check on the package label if the carbohydrate/sugar ratio is zero or less than 1g. If you, it’s safe to eat. The rest of the ingredients are ok for us: basil, pine nuts (up to 3.53 oz / 100g) and olive oil.
So if we can’t buy it, then better to make our own homemade low FODMAP pesto sauce. To solve the garlic problem, I opted for garlic infused oil.
For a vegan version, just remove the cheese and for a more economical version, omit the pine nuts. If you take out these two ingredients you’ll get a delicious French pistou sauce, which is also ideal to spice up cold pasta or soups.
The best pasta for a pasta salad
To make cold pasta salads, it is best to use gluten free penne or fusilli.
And if you liked the recipe, don’t forget to comment below and star it.
Low FODMAP Caprese Pasta Salad with Pesto
Ingredients
- 5.29 oz | 150g gluten-free penne pasta
- 5.29 oz | 150g cherry tomatoes
- 2.82 oz | 80g mini mozzarella cheese
- Pinch of oregano optional
- Pinch of black pepper optional
For the pesto
- 1.41 oz | 40g fresh basil
- 2.82 oz | 80g grated parmesan cheese
- 1 oz | 30g pine nuts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3.38 fl oz | 100ml garlic-infused olive oil
Instructions
- Cook pasta following the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Put all pesto ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor until you get a thick paste. Slowly pour in the olive oil until you get a creamy paste.
- In a salad bowl, in two bowls or in a food container with a lid, add the pasta, cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarellas and finally the amount of pesto you want (I suggest 1 tbsp per serving), mixing well with a spatula. You can sprinkle it with a pinch of oregano and another of black pepper. Serve or store in the fridge covered until serving.
Notes
- We can eat 75g of cherry tomatoes (fructans). The recipe has twice as much and serves two people.
- Both pine nuts and cheeses are low FODMAP but it is advisable to follow the portions indicated in the recipe to avoid FODMAP stacking.
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