Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

This quick and easy sun-dried tomato pasta salad is loaded with PLENTY of sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, chopped spinach, fresh mozzarella and shaved Parmesan – it’s the stuff dreams are made of!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s easy. Like, really, REALLY easy. Sun-dried tomatoes from a jar and canned garbanzo beans and artichoke hearts mean you won’t spend an hour chopping veggies. They’re all conveniently bite size and ready to go!
• It’s loaded with veggies. Of course, this sun-dried tomato pasta salad is loaded with pasta and cheese too. But there’s a hearty helping of fiber and protein from the garbanzo beans and spinach as well. Feel free to add more spinach too if you’re trying to get more greens in your diet!
• It’s SERIOUSLY filled with sun-dried tomato flavor! You’ll use an entire 8-ounce jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe. AND the leftover oil from the sun-dried tomatoes goes right into the dressing which means not only do you get a bite of sun-dried tomato in every forkful, but you’ll get that sun-dried tomato infused flavor throughout the entire salad!
• If you loved this pasta salad recipe, be sure to check out my:
  • Deviled Egg Macaroni Pasta Salad
  • The Best Italian Pasta Salad
  • Simple Street Corn Pasta Salad

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pasta – Use your favorite short cut of pasta for this recipe. Farfalle, rigatoni, rotini, fusilli, or penne are all good options!
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this show! I prefer to use the oil-packed tomatoes because they have more flavor and you can use the oil for the dressing!
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – I like to use mozzarella pearls for this recipe but you can use any size of fresh mozzarella cheese and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
• Fresh Spinach – You can sub with thinly sliced kale if you prefer.
• Garbanzo Beans – Feel free to switch out the garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas) for white beans or Great Northern beans.
• Artichoke Hearts – I like quartered artichoke hearts so I don’t have to cut them up at all. But you can choose any size of canned artichoke heart and chop them up yourself.
• Parmesan Cheese – I love to use shaved Parmesan cheese but you could also use shredded Parmesan as well.
• Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing – Made with sun-dried tomato oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and dried herbs, this dressing is delicious but super simple and easy!

Instructions

Cook pasta in a large pot of salty water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach, garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan to a large bowl and mix to combine ingredients.

Add oil from sun-dried tomatoes to a measuring cup. Add olive oil until you have a 1/2 cup of oil total. Add oil back into the sun-dried tomato jar along with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until emulsified.

Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to coat evenly.

Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Tips

• Always salt your pasta water! Your pasta water should be as salty as the ocean – seriously. This is going to amp up the flavor of your pasta and thus the entire salad. Cold pasta dishes can sometimes have a more muted flavor than warm pasta dishes, so this is your chance to enhance the flavor of your pasta right out of the gate.
• No need to rinse your pasta with cold water after cooking! Toss your cooked pasta with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside and allow it to cool. If you’re in a hurry, pop it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
• Use the leftover oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to make the dressing for the salad. This will really infuse the salad with that sun-dried tomato flavor. I like to pour the sun-dried tomato oil into a 1/2 cup measuring cup and then add olive oil until there is a 1/2 cup total. Then add the oil back into the sun-dried tomato jar so you can get all those yummy bits of herb and sun-dried tomato mixture into the dressing.

Variations

• Garlic Powder – Feel free to add 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder to your dressing if you’re as obsessed with garlic flavor as I am!
• Olives/Capers – The briny, salty flavor of Kalamata olives, black olives, or capers pairs really well with the fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes. Feel free to add your favorite!
• Red Onion – Diced red onion is a delicious crunchy addition to this pasta salad as well.
• Fresh Basil – I love the flavor of fresh parsley but fresh basil leaves work well in this salad too.
• Feta Cheese – The tangy salty flavor of crumbled feta gives this salad a Greek flair!

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Make-Ahead: This pasta salad is a great meal prep lunch for a busy work week or a make-ahead side for your next potluck! Dress the pasta with half the dressing, then add it to your individual meal prep containers or mason jars. Just before eating, give the salad another splash of dressing and enjoy! It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week!
• Storage: Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Easy Pasta Salad Recipes

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