This Artichoke pasta salad is fresh, easy to make and full of flavor. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients and a flavor packed, vinaigrette style dressing. Makes a great packed lunch or served at the summer bbq or picnic.
This artichoke and olive pasta salad is easy and fast to make, and a great crowd pleaser that can be prepared ahead of time. Just like these other light summer pasta salads, Sun dried tomato pasta salad or this Chickpea Orzo Salad.
This pasta salad is fresh, full of flavor, and tossed in a light dressing. The artichokes add a subtle tang and depth that lifts the whole dish without making it heavy. Like in this creamy Artichoke and sun-dried tomato pasta or this Artichoke Salad.
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Ingredients
The ingredients needed to make this pasta salad with artichoke are listed below.
For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Pasta, use a dried pasta of choice. In this salad I have used fusilli. Other good pasta options for salad are bowtie, farfalle, gemelli or orecchiette pasta.
- Marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half or quartered.
- Red onion, thinly sliced. Ads a wonderful crunch and bite to this salad. Spring onions or shallots are another great option.
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Use red or a mix of colours, grape tomatoes works great too.
- Roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- Olives, use your favorit pitted oiles. Add them whole or sliced. In this pasta salad recipe, black pitted olives are used.
- Feta cheese, crumbled. The cheese ads so much great flavor to this marinated artichoke pasta salad. It is salty, creamy and absolutely delicious in this salad. For a vegan option, use vegan feta cheese alternative.
- Fresh parsley or basil, herbs adds freshness and lots of flavor to this easy pasta salad recipe.
Dressing
- Olive oil, a good quality extra virgin olive oil tastes great in this dressing.
- Red wine vinegar, tastes great in the dressing.
- Garlic, gives this dressing a punch of flavour.
- Honey, to balance out the red wine vinegar. For a vegan option, use maple syrup.
- Dijon mustard, just a little adds a lot of flavor.
- Spices: Italian seasoning mix or oregano, sea salt and ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this healthy artichoke salad with pasta is fast and easy. Just follow the step by step photos below.
For the full instructions see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Step 1: In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Step 2: Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water and add to a large salad bowl.
- Step 3: Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, optional olives, red onion, feta cheese and chopped herbs.
- Step 4: Pour over the dressing and lightly toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste and top with some extra herbs and feta cheese if desired
Substitutions
- Gluten free – to make a gluten-free pasta salad, use a certified gluten-free pasta and cook according to the packets instructions for al dente.
- No artichokes – try grilled zucchini or roasted eggplant
- Pasta – this is of the main ingredient to a pasta salad. But orzo also works great, just like in this Pesto Orzo Salad. You can also make it into an artichoke tortellini pasta salad, by using tortellini. Cooked couscous or quinoa are also good options, or see this Quinoa and lentil salad.
- Dairy-free – either use a dairy free cheese alternative, or skip cheese.
- Onion – The red onion, ads a nice crunch and bite to this pasta salad. It can also be replaced with pickled red onion, copped spring onions or shallots. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out.
- Vegan – for a vegan pasta salad, use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing and a vegan feta cheese.
Variations
- Olives – Instead of olives, capers are a good option or they can be left out.
- Beans – For protein, add some canned chickpeas, beans or lentils to this pasta salad.
- Cheese – The cheese gives this pasta salad with artichokes and feta a lot of great flavor. But it can also be replaced with other cheeses like crumbled goat cheese, grated parmesan cheese or fresh mozzarella.
- Nuts – For a little crunch, add some toasted nuts of choice or pine nuts. For an allergy friendly salad, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are good options.
- Greens – Add some small greens to this salad, baby spinach or arugula are some great options.
- Veggies – Add more veggies to this lemony artichoke pasta salad, some great options are, sliced avocado, chopped sun-dried tomatoes or your favourite veggies.
How to store pasta salad
This pasta salad with artichoke hearts can be prepared ahead of time. It makes it a great meal prep, store a big batch in the fridge and serve as a healthy side dish to any meal. Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Stir well before serving and season with a little extra salt and pepper and fresh herbs if desired.
Salad does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend that.
Top tip for the best pasta salad
- Use good-quality artichokes (jarred or marinated work best) Time saving tip is to buy them already cut in half.
- Cook the pasta in well sated water to just to al dente. Rinse directly with cold water so it holds its shape and doesn’t go soggy.
- Let the summer pasta salad sit to marinate a little before serving, give the pasta time to soak up all the flavors.
- Season again before serving with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. A final touch makes a big difference.
FAQ
Yes! Making this pasta salad vegan is easy. Just use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing, and a vegan feta cheese or other vegan cheese of choice or leave it out.
Use jarred or marinated artichokes that have been drained. Marinaded will add a little more flavor. Frozen artichoke hearts can also be used ad long as they are pre cooked and defrosted.
Yes! It is great for meal prep or to bring to a potluck, packed lunch or summer bbq or picnic. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
More pasta salad recipes
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Salad recipes
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This Artichoke pasta salad is fresh, easy to make and full of flavor. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients and a flavor packed, vinaigrette style dressing. Makes a great packed lunch or served at the summer bbq or picnic.
- 14 ounces (400g) dried pasta of choice (fusilli, bowtie, farfalle, gemelli or orecchiette pasta)
- 15 ounces (425g) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half or quartered
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup roasted red peppers, sliced
- ½ cup olives of choice, (optional) whole or sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix or oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water and add to a large salad bowl.
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In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dressing.
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To the salad bowl with the cooked pasta, add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, optional olives, red onion, feta cheese and chopped herbs.
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Pour over the dressing and lightly toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste and top with some extra herbs and feta cheese if desired
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