Easy Tortellini Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Glaze
Tortellini caprese skewers are a delicious appetizer idea featuring tortellini, mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
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We are huge fans of Caprese anything.
Appetizer parties are a thing my extended family does.
Christmas?
Bring a snack.
Super Bowl?
Snack.
Since we have some vegetarian family members, we always bring something everyone can enjoy like these tortellini Caprese skewers.
They are easy to put together with almost no actual cooking skill and have the classic tomato, mozzarella, basil combination of Caprese plus pillowy, cheese stuffed tortellini.
Yum!
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies for Tortellini Caprese Skewers
- Cheese tortellini– For this, I recommend the kind in the refrigerated section or deli section of the store over frozen tortellini.
- Cherry tomatoes– No need to even cut them in half!
- Mozzarella– For this, go for fresh mozzarella pearls or bocconcini. You can find them in the specialty cheese case.
- Basil- Fresh basil leaves
For the balsamic reduction, you’ll need:
- Balsamic vinegar – You can find this with other vinegars, typically in the salad dressing aisle.
- Honey – A staple in many households, you do not need much for the reduction.
Kitchen supplies you’ll need include:
- Pasta pot or other pot to cook the tortellini
- Small saucepan and whisk
- Toothpicks or longer wooden skewers
How to Make Caprese Skewers with Tortellini
1. Cook the tortellini.
Cook the tortellini until just tender. If you follow box cooking times, you want to cook it for about a minute or two less than the recommended cook time.
Immediately drain the tortellini and let it cool.
2. Assemble the skewers.
Skewer a cherry or grape tomato onto a toothpick or wooden skewer.
Follow it with a mozzarella ball or piece and a rolled basil leaf.
Finally, add a piece of tortellini to the other end.
Repeat until you’ve made all the tortellini skewers.
3. Make the balsamic reduction.
Whisk the balsamic vinegar and honey together in a small saucepan over medium low heat.
Let it come to a slow simmer, stirring until the mixture reduces enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the caprese tortellini skewers.
Serve the tortellini caprese skewers and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers and Making Ahead
If you plan to make these ahead, I recommend making them the day before and waiting to make the balsamic glaze until you are ready to serve them.
Tomatoes tend to get mealy in the fridge when they are there too long.
Also, the tortellini may start to dehydrate, causing them to become tougher.
If you do store them in the fridge, make sure to cover them very well or use an air tight container.
When you are ready to serve, make the balsamic reduction and remove from the container you stored them in.
Leftovers should keep for about 3 days.
Caprese Tortellini Skewers Sauce Options
You don’t have to make these caprese tortellini skewers with a balsamic reduction.
Instead you could drizzle the tortellini skewers with homemade pesto with walnuts, Easy Lemon Pesto Sauce, Traditional Pesto Genovese or serve them with spaghetti sauce for dipping.
You could also serve them with your favorite dressing as a dip.
FAQs
What is a capresse salad?
A traditional caprese salad consists of sliced mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil leaves, olive oil, and salt served on a plate. It is a simple, but delicious meal or appetizer that uses fresh ingredients to their fullest.
Are caprese healthy?
Caprese uses fresh ingredients including tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. While the cheese adds some extra fat and calories, it also contains some protein and other nutrients. Both the tomato and basil also have nutrients that make it a good choice for lunch or as an appetizer.
Is caprese actually Italian?
Yes, caprese salads are one of Italy’s favorite food and one of the most popular culunary exports. It is super easy to make both a traditional salad and tortellini caprese skewers.
Tips and Tricks
- The package of tortellini generally includes a 2 minute range for cook time. You want to cook the tortellini on the lower end of the range so it doesn’t fall apart when you skewer it.
- Let the tortellini cool before you make the skewers.
- You could use gnocchi instead of tortellini if you prefer. I recommend baking the gnocchi for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees with a coating of about a tablespoon of olive oil. You can also season the gnocchi with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you like.
- If you are using longer skewers, you can repeat the tomato, mozzarella, basil, tortellini sequence until you are out of room.
- For ease, use cherry or grape tomatoes as well as small mozzarella balls. You can use other tomatoes or a large ball of mozzarella, but you will need to cut these into roughly bite sized pieces before using. Other tomatoes that work well but will need to be cut are roma and plum tomatoes.
- You could forgo the balsamic drizzle and serve them with basil pesto or lemon pesto sauce for dipping instead.
Other Caprese Recipes
- Fried Mozzarella Caprese– Fried mozzarella meets caprese.
- Strawberry Caprese Salad– Sweet strawberries stand in for tomatoes
- Panzanella Caprese Salad– A salad based on bread and cheese.
- Instant Pot Caprese Pasta– Delicious hot or cold, it’s pasta with all the classic flavor combinations.
- Puff Pastry Caprese Cups– Handheld appetizer portions of Caprese salad sit in buttery puff pastry cups.
- Mini Caprese Skewers– Ditch the tortellini and enjoy a bite sized caprese skewers.
- Shrimp Caprese Pasta– Move over shrimp scampi! Shrimp caprese pasta features plump shrimp along with mozzarella and tomatoes.
- The Best Burrata Caprese Salad– Buttery, cream filled burrata gets substituted for mozzarella in this delicious salad.
- Easy Baguette Caprese Sandwich with Pesto– Lunch every Caprese lover will love!
- Elegant and Easy Prosciutto Caprese Skewers– Caprese skewers with meat anyone?
- Easy Pesto Caprese Salad (Italian Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Salad)– A classic!
- Burrata Panzanella Salad Recipe– Creamy burrata, toasted bread cubes, and sweet tomatoes. Now that’s a salad!
- 5 Minute Easy Caprese Panini Sandwich with Pesto
- Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pesto – a fresh, delicious take on cold pesto pasta salad!
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Ingredients
- 9 ounces of refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces of mozzarella balls or bocconcini
- Fresh basil leaves
Balsamic Reduction
- 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of honey
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, making sure to follow the shorter cooktime.
- Drain the tortellini and let it cool.
- Thread a cherry tomato onto a toothpick or wooden skewer.
- Follow it with a mozzarella ball and a rolled basil leaf.
- Add a piece of tortellini to the other end. Repeat until you've made all the tortellini skewers.
- Make the balsamic reduction by whisking the balsamic vinegar and honey together in a small saucepan over medium low heat.
- Let it come to a slow simmer, stirring until the mixture reduces enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the caprese tortellini skewers.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
