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    Home » Salads

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

    Published: Apr 27, 2019 » Modified: Apr 10, 2022 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 4 Comments

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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!

    Overhead shot of a bowl of sun dried tomato pasta salad garnished with fresh parsley
    Table of Contents show
    You Will Love This
    Ingredients and Substitutions
    Instructions
    Tips
    Variations
    Make-Ahead and Storage
    Easy Pasta Salad Recipes
    Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

    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
    Close up shot of a bowl of sun dried tomato pasta salad garnished with fresh parsley

    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.

    Large white bowl filled with cooked bowtie pasta

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

    Large white bowl filled with ingredients to make pasta salad

    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, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until emulsified.

    Close up shot of a jar of sun dried tomatoes filled with homemade dressing

    Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to coat evenly.

    Hand a jar of sun dried tomato dressing and pouring it over a pasta salad

    Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

    Overhead shot of a bowl of sun dried tomato pasta salad garnished with fresh parsley

    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 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.

    Variations

    • Garlic Powder - Feel free to add ½ 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!
    Overhead shot of a bowl of sun dried tomato pasta salad garnished with fresh parsley

    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

    • Easy 20 Minute Greek Orzo Salad
    • 25 Minute Taco Pasta Salad
    • 30 Minute BLT Pasta Salad
    • 25 Minute Sesame Noodle Salad [Vegan!]

    Questions? Leave a comment below!
    Liked the recipe? Leave a comment below!
    Made this dish? Leave a comment and star rating below!

    Print

    Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    Loaded with PLENTY of sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, chopped spinach, fresh mozzarella and shaved Parmesan - this pasta salad is the stuff dreams are made of!

     

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 12 servings 1x
    • Category: Pasta Salad
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: American/Mediterranean
    • Diet: Vegetarian

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Salad:

    • 16 oz. bow tie pasta
    • 8 oz. jar oil packed julienne cut sun dried tomatoes
    • 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls
    • 2 cups fresh chopped baby spinach
    • 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
    • 15 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
    • 1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
    • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

    Dressing:

    • ½ cup olive oil (use leftover oil from tomatoes + enough olive oil to get a ½ cup total)
    • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • Kosher salt
    • fresh cracked pepper

    Instructions

    1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Strain and then rinse under cold water for a couple minutes. Transfer to large serving bowl.
    2. Add sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach, garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts and Parmesan to the serving bowl and mix to combine ingredients.
    3. 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.
    4. Shake vigorously until emulsified.
    5. Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to coat evenly.
    6. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

    Equipment

    Image of large bowl

    large bowl

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    measuring cup

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    Notes

    • 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 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.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 355
    • Sugar: 1.6 g
    • Sodium: 487.8 mg
    • Fat: 15.8 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3.1 g
    • Carbohydrates: 40.7 g
    • Fiber: 7.9 g
    • Protein: 17.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 8.2 mg

    Keywords: veggie pasta salad, bowtie pasta salad

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Luke

      April 10, 2022 at 4:52 pm

      We brought this to our friend's house last weekend and everyone loved it! No one had ever had anything like it before!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Mary

      June 18, 2019 at 6:31 pm

      This is sooo good! Love your pasta recipe! I made it for a pool party and it was the first salad devoured. I’m making it again while on vacation. Thank you for sharing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        June 18, 2019 at 9:46 pm

        Isn't that such a great feeling when you make something that everyone loves!?! Your friends must have GREAT taste 😉 So glad you enjoyed the recipe! This is one of my summer favorites. Thanks Mary!

        Reply
    3. Kylie Lato

      May 01, 2019 at 11:21 am

      Your friends are going to love this pasta salad - quick, simple and delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

    More about me →

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