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Easy Caprese Skewers Make Ahead

December 9, 2015 By Gritsandpinecones 2 Comments

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Caprese skewers make ahead with pesto dressing is simple, yet delicious, a family favorite, and the perfect festive appetizer to serve your holiday guests.

Simple Make-Ahead Caprese Skewers with Pesto Dressing ready for the party

It seems like the holidays are all about decadence but today I thought I would share this recipe for caprese skewers make ahead with Pesto dressing. This recipe is a little more healthy than my previous posts. But, make no mistake, these delicious skewers will still wow your family and friends, and with the red and green colors, they are very festive and perfect for Christmas entertaining. These caprese skewers are simple to make, can be made ahead of time and will keep well in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. Oh, and did I mention that they are delicious and very kid-friendly!

Not only do these flavorful caprese skewers make ahead make a wonderful appetizer for parties, they make a great salad dish for pot-luck or buffet dinners.

The ingredients for the caprese skewers make ahead are spinach tortellini, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella balls. The dressing ingredients are olive oil, pesto, and red wine vinegar. For the pesto, you can use fresh or jarred. On the mozzarella, I like the fresh mozzarella balls, but you can certainly use regular mozzarella cut into cubes. Use the cheese stuffed spinach tortellini you find in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, usually next to the cheese. Don’t use dried pasta here.

In addition, if you want to make these caprese skewers make ahead a little more substantial, feel free to add some cubed salami or summer sausage on top. Oh, you will also need some fresh basil or parsley for a garnish and wooden skewers.

If you like this appetizer, you might also be interested in these yummy recipes:

Easy Creamy Crab Mornay Dip

Black Eyed Pea Hummus

Easy Mardi Gras Hot Muffuletta Dip

For even more appetizer recipes, here is a link to all of my appetizer recipes.

How to make Caprese Skewers Make Ahead With Pesto

To make the dressing, simply mix olive oil, pesto, and red wine vinegar in a glass jar and shake well.  To make the skewers, thread 1 cherry tomato, a mozzarella ball, and then the cooked tortellini.  If making ahead, cover your skewers with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator along with your dressing. As you can see, I doubled the recipe for the picture below.

Make-Ahead Caprese Skewers with Pesto ready to be stored in the refrigerator until the party

When you are ready to serve the skewers, simply drizzle on a little dressing, and sprinkle with some chopped basil or parsley.

Make Ahead Caprese Skewers with Pesto dressing ready to serve

Enjoy!

If you liked my caprese skewers make ahead recipe above, please consider rating it and leaving a comment below. Also, follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. And finally, to be the first to receive new notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box. Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!

Print Recipe
Easy Caprese Skewers Make Ahead With Pesto
Caprese Skewers make ahead with Pesto dressing is simple, yet delicious, a family favorite, and the perfect festive appetizer to serve your holiday guests.
Simple Make-Ahead Caprese Skewers with Pesto Dressing ready for the party
Votes: 6
Rating: 4.33
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Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
20 skewers
Ingredients
Pesto Dressing
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp pesto
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
Skewers
  • 9 oz package refrigerated spinach tortellini cooked according to package directions and cooled
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 6 oz fresh mozzarella balls or cubed mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil minced
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
20 skewers
Ingredients
Pesto Dressing
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp pesto
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
Skewers
  • 9 oz package refrigerated spinach tortellini cooked according to package directions and cooled
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 6 oz fresh mozzarella balls or cubed mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil minced
Simple Make-Ahead Caprese Skewers with Pesto Dressing ready for the party
Votes: 6
Rating: 4.33
You:
Rate this recipe!
Add to Shopping List
This recipe is in your Shopping List
Instructions
For the pesto dressing
  1. Mix together the olive oil, pesto and vinegar in a jar and shake well.
For the caprese skewers
  1. Thread, 1 cherry tomato, 1 mozzarella ball, and 1 spinach tortellini on a skewer.
  2. Lay the skewers on a plate and just before serving, lightly drizzle with dressing.
  3. Sprinkle with minced basil or parsley.
Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts
Easy Caprese Skewers Make Ahead With Pesto
Amount Per Serving
Calories 52 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 32mg 1%
Potassium 71mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0.4g 2%
Sugars 1g
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 8%
Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 4%
Iron 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.


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Filed Under: Appetizers, Healthy, Holidays, Recipe Index Tagged With: caprese, caprese skewers, caprese skewers make ahead, caprese skewers with pesto, mozzarella, skewers, tomatoes

Reader Interactions

Discussion

  1. Gail Rappa says

    December 9, 2018 at 11:00 am

    Sharon, Would like to make the Caprese Skewers. When you say “freshly made mozzarella balls, do you purchase from a deli? I know you said we can use cubes…but the balls go so well with the little tomatoes.
    Gail Cherry Rappa

    Reply
    • Gritsandpinecones says

      December 9, 2018 at 1:43 pm

      Hi Gail,
      Yes, you can purchase from a deli, but your grocery store should also have them in the refrigerated cheese section.
      All my best,
      Sharon

      Reply

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Hello, I'm Sharon, blogger, recipe developer and photographer for Grits and Pinecones. I’m all about creating delicious recipes with a Southern flair that are quick, easy and PERFECT to share with family and friends. Nothing fussy or complicated, just “go-to” dishes for the everyday home cook.
Besides scrumptious, tested, and perfected recipes on my blog, you will also find expert cooking tips and tricks, step-by-step tutorials, and photos detailing the process for each recipe! Read More…

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