Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe (2024)

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 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.

Recipe FAQs

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.

Keywords: sun dried tomato pasta salad