Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

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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!

BTW the dressing is made using the leftover oil FROM the sun-dried tomatoes which means every bite is infused with that delicious tomato flavor!

Why you're going to love this pasta salad:

• 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!

How to make tomato pasta salad:

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Strain and then rinse under cold water for a couple minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

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

Add oil from sun-dried tomatoes to a measuring cup. Add olive oil until you have a ½ cup of oil total. Add oil back into the sun-dried tomato jar along with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, thyme and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until emulsified.

Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to coat evenly.

Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Tips for making the best pasta salad:

• 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.
• Rinse your pasta right after cooking to stop the cooking process and cool it down quickly. Everyone has an opinion about rinsing pasta. I never rinse my pasta UNLESS it's for a pasta salad. There is nothing worse than mushy pasta in a pasta salad. So I like to give it a quick rinse right after straining it. This cools it quickly so that you can make your salad right away and it also stops the pasta from continuing to cook and get mushy.
• 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 ½ cup measuring cup and then add olive oil until there is a ½ 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.
• If you'll be enjoying this pasta several hours later or even throughout the week, just add half the dressing initially. Then add the rest of the dressing just before serving. This will keep the flavors fresh and also prevent the pasta from getting soggy.
• This pasta salad is a great meal prep lunch for a busy work week! 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!

If you loved this pasta salad, check out these other family favorites:

• The 16 Best Pasta Salad Recipes for Hosting
• Vegan Asian Noodle Salad
• Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
• Simple Antipasto Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Couscous Salad
• Lemon, Asparagus & Orzo Salad

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