Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

4.84 from 6 votes

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This recipe gets better as it sits and can be made a day ahead of serving. Start by adding about half of the dressing and add more to your liking. I usually use all of it, though. Use Parmesan cheese, or feta, or both!

Prep Time30

Total Time30

Servings:

Calories: 295kcal

Author: Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 7 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
6 cloves garlic
Salt And Pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup light olive oil or avocado oil

For the salad:

16 ounces spiral pasta of choice, rotini is a good one
¾ cup black or kalamata olives, or favorite olives of your choice, rough chopped
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or julienne sliced
1 ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 cup Feta cheese, optional, in place of the Parmesan or in addition.

Instructions

Make the Dressing:

In a blender or food processor (my preference), combine 7 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, 6 cloves garlic, salt, pepper, and 3 Tablespoon vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Continue blending while drizzling in cup olive oil until mixed well.

Make the Pasta:

Cook 16 ounces pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.
Pour ⅔ of the dressing over the pasta. Add ¾ cup olives and toss together. Add 2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup fresh basil, 1 ½ cups Parmesan, and 1 cup feta, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking (I use it all).
Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
This is an excellend side pasta but is substantial enough to be a meatless main dish.

Nutrition