Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad (Printable)
Bright Mediterranean pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil and tangy vinaigrette. Ready in 25 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 9 oz short pasta (fusilli, penne, or farfalle)
→ Vegetables & Herbs
02 - ⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
06 - ½ cucumber, diced
07 - ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
08 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
→ Cheese
09 - ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
→ Dressing
10 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
12 - 1 garlic clove, minced
13 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
14 - ½ tsp dried oregano
15 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the short pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to halt cooking and cool completely. Set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta with the sliced sun-dried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, halved Kalamata olives, diced cucumber, chopped fresh basil, and chopped fresh parsley.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt, and pepper until the mixture is emulsified and smooth.
04 - Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly until every component is evenly coated with the dressing.
05 - Gently fold in the crumbled feta cheese, taking care not to break it down too much. Leave some visible chunks for texture.
06 - Taste the salad and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before serving, or serve immediately at room temperature.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dressing doubles as a marinade so if you let it sit overnight the pasta absorbs every drop of flavor and tastes even better the next day.
- It requires zero cooking intuition because everything gets tossed in one bowl and the ingredients forgivingly adapt to whatever you have on hand.
02 -
- Rinsing pasta feels wrong to every Italian grandmother but for cold salad it is essential because residual heat continues cooking the noodles and turns them gummy.
- Do not dress the salad and then immediately serve it because the flavors need those thirty minutes to marry and the texture improves dramatically.
03 -
- Save a tablespoon of the oil from the sun dried tomato jar and whisk it into the dressing for a concentrated hit of tomato flavor that nothing else can replicate.
- Cut all the vegetables roughly the same size as the pasta pieces so every forkful delivers a balanced mix instead of one giant onion slice overpowering a single bite.