Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe
This sun dried tomato pasta salad recipe is bursting with flavor and is quick and easy to make in just 15 minutes!
I love cold pasta salads because they’re so easy to make, store well, are versatile and taste delicious. Some of my favourites are this Easy Vegan Cold Pesto Pasta Salad, Zesty Italian Pasta Salad, Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad and next to add to that list, this sun dried tomato pasta salad.
This easy pasta salad recipe features simple ingredients, pasta, fresh veggies and two kinds of tomatoes tossed in a zesty dressing. The tangy dressing is made form the sun-dried tomato infused oil for extra flavor.
This is a great salad to enjoy during the summer months, perfect to bring along to gatherings and makes a great meal prep recipe.
Recipe Features
- Vegan.
- Make gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
- Quick and easy 15-minute recipe.
- Just a few minutes of prep time.
- Great for meal prep.
- Crowd pleasing recipe for picnics and potlucks.
- Pair with any protein to make a main dish.
Ingredient Notes
- Pasta: Use any short pasta shape such as bowtie pasta, rotini, penne, cavatappi, etc.
- Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is easiest to eat but regular spinach is ok too.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes: You’ll need sun dried tomatoes packed in oil. We’ll use some of the sun-dried tomato oil to make the dressing.
- Tomato: Cherry or grape tomato are best.
- Vinegar: The recipe calls for red wine vinegar but you you can substitute white wine vinegar. You could use balsamic vinegar for a variation.
- Herbs: The recipe calls for fresh basil, dried thyme and dried oregano. You can substitute 2-3 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs for the dried thyme and oregano if you prefer.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
- Olives: Add up 1/2 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives or black olives.
- Cheese: Mix in or top with feta cheese, goat cheese, fresh mozarella or parmesan cheese.
- Beans: Add up to 1 14 oz can drained and rinsed white beans or chickpeas.
- Nuts: Add up 1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts for crunch.
- Veggies: For extra veggies try diced cucumber or red bell pepper.
- Roasted Veggies: Add roasted veggies like in this Lemon Garlic Orzo with Roasted Vegetables.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Bring large pot of salted water to a boil then cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
Step 2: Add 4 tbsp of the sun dried tomato oil to a large serving bowl or mixing bowl, then add the red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, thyme, oregano and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
Note: If you’re making the recipe in advance, you may want to reserve half the dressing until serving. The pasta continues to absorb the dressing as it sits so it works well to freshen it up with reserved dressing at serving.
In this case, prepare the dressing in a separate small bowl, mix half with the salad and store the other half in the fridge until serving.
Step 5: Drain the remaining oil from the sun dried tomatoes and then thinly slice them. Quarter the fresh tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, quarter the artichoke hearts and slice the fresh basil.
Step 6: To the bowl with the dressing, add the hot pasta and spinach and mix to wilt the spinach, then mix in the sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onion, artichokes and basil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Serve your pasta salad warm, at room temperature or chilled. The flavors improve with time so it’s a great recipe to prepare in advance.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply use your choice of gluten-free pasta such as brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta or lentil pasta.
The salad should be stored in the fridge until serving time but is ok at room temperature for a few hours.
Store sun-dried tomato pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can but sun dried tomatoes packed in oil are recommended for the best flavour and texture.
To use dried sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrate them in extra virgin olive oil overnight then use the oil for the salad dressing. For a quicker option, you can rehydrate them in hot water for 15 minutes and use extra virgin olive oil for the dressing.
Tips for Success
- To avoid mushy or slimy pasta, avoid overcooking. Cook the pasta al dente for best results. The pasta pacackaging will have timing for al dente provided and will vary depenidng on the pasta shape used.
- If you’re adding cheese to this recipe, let the salad cool first.
- If the pasta salad is a bit dry after storing for more than 2 days (the pasta will continue absorbing the dressing), you can revive it with a drizzle of olive oil or keep the sun-dried tomato oil from the jar of tomatoes when you drain off the remaining oil and drizzle that over the salad at serving.
More Pasta Salads
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A delicious pasta salad with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, juicy fresh tomatoes, artichokes and basil tossed in a zesty dressing.
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad
- 454g (16oz) short cut pasta such as farfalle, penne, fusilli, cavatappi or macaroni
- 56g fresh baby spinach (3 cups)
- 1 250 ml jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- 223g (1 pint) fresh grape cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (56g)
- 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (190g, about 1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced (about 15g)
- pinch of red pepper flakes
For the Dressing
- 4 tbsp oil, reserved from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Generously salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Cook pasta to al dente following package directions. Drain pasta.
- Prepare Dressing: While pasta cooks, measure out 4 tbsp oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and add to a large mixing or serving bowl. Add vinegar, garlic, Dijon, thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, then whisk to combine. Set aside. Alternatively, you could make dressing in a small bowl or shaker and then combine pasta salad in same pot that pasta was cooked in to save a large bowl. See notes regarding preparing in advance.
- Toss Pasta Salad: Drain any remaining oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes (reserve for another use if desired). If the sun-dried tomatoes are whole, thinly slice. To the bowl with dressing, add the cooked pasta and spinach and mix to wilt the spinach. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, artichokes and fresh basil. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Enjoy warm or chilled with more fresh basil and fresh cracked black pepper, if desired.
Notes
Leftover pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
If you’re making the recipe in advance, you may want to reserve half the dressing until serving. The pasta continues to absorb the dressing as it sits but if you have some set aside you can freshen it up with reserved dressing at serving. In this case, prepare the dressing in a separate small bowl, mix half with the salad and store the other half in the fridge. This is optional. I just mix everything at once if I’m making this for meal prep but if I making in advance and serving to guests, I’d reserve some of the dressing to mix into the salad at serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 434
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 13 g
Enjoy this recipe. I didn’t make any changes. It’s very easy to make. It was all eaten for dinner so I didn’t get to try leftovers but seems like it would be good the next day too.