This Sun dried tomato pasta salad is packed with flavor and the perfect spring or summer side dish. Filled with crunchy veggies, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil and salty feta cheese all tossed in an incredible light dressing. Easy and fast to make and a great crowd pleaser that can be made ahead of time.
This pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes is perfect for summer the bbq, potluck’s or as a packed lunch. Just like this Lemon orzo salad with feta or this Caprese pesto pasta salad.
This pasta salad a healthy summer dish, but I also make this recipe in the winter time for meal-prep.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed to make this pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes are listed below.
For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom or:
- Pasta, use your favorit dry pasta, in this salad I have used gemelli. Other good pasta options for salad are fusilli, farfalle or orecchiette pasta.
- Arugula, it is crispy and a little peppery to the sate and ads so much flavor and texture to this pasta salad. Other small greens like baby spinach can also be used.
- Red onion, ads a wonderful crunch and bite to this salad. Spring onions or shallots are another great option.
- Bell pepper, this pasta salad has yellow bell pepper added. It is sweet, crunchy and full of flavor. Use any color bell pepper of choice, both yellow and orange bell pepper tastes great as well.
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Use red or a mix of colours, grape tomatoes works great too.
- Sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, chopped and oil reserved for the dressing. They add so much flavor to this vegetarian pasta salad.
- Feta cheese, it’s salty, creamy and absolutely delicious in this sun dried tomato salad. For a vegan option, use vegan feta cheese alternative.
- Fresh basil, herbs adds freshness and lots of flavor to this pasta salad.
- Olives (optional) use your favorit pitted oiles. Add them whole or sliced. In this pasta salad recipe, black pitted olives are used.
Dressing
- Olive oil, or reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Lemon juice, some fresh squeezed lemon juice ads so much zesty flavor to this dressing.
- Garlic, gives this dressing a punch of flavour.
- Honey, to balance out the acid from the lemon juice. For a vegan option, use maple syrup.
- Dijon mustard, just a little adds a lot of flavor and a creamier consistency.
- Spices, sea salt, ground black pepper, Italian spice mix and optional red chili flakes for a little heat. If you don’t like chilli, just leave it out completely.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this pasta and sun dried tomato salad is fast and easy. Just follow the step by step photos below and watch the recipe video.
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: To the salad bowl with the cooked pasta, add the bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, chopped basil and arugula.
- Step 4: Pour over the dressing the pasta salad.
Step 5: Lightly toss to coat the salad with the dressing. Salt and pepper to taste and top with some extra basil and feta cheese if desired.
Hint: This is a pasta salad without mayo that has a light and fresh vinaigrette style dressing. If you like a lot of dressing, double the recipe for the dressing. Another great pasta salad dressing that is packed with sundries tomato flavor is this Sun dried tomato vinaigrette.
Substitutions
- Gluten free – To make a gluten-free pasta salad, use a certified gluten-free pasta.
- Dressing – Swap out the dressing for this Sun dried tomato vinaigrette for extra sundries tomato flavor.
- Greens – Instead of arugula, other small greens like baby spinach or a mix of greens can also be used. They can also be left out completely.
- Onion – The red onion, ads a nice crunch and bite to this 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.
- Bell pepper – This recipe uses yellow bell pepper, but you can use any color of choice. Another great option is to use some canned roasted red peppers.
Another great salad to try is this Curried couscous salad or this Lemon orzo salad with feta.
See this Lentil and chickpea salad for another healthy salad packed with plant-based protein.
Variations
- Spicy – For a spicy pasta salad, add red chill flakes to taste. Tabasco, hot sauce or chili oil are other good options to kick top the heat.
- Vegan – To make this a vegan pasta salad, use maple syrup in the vinaigrette and a vegan feta cheese alternative.
- Herbs – Instead of chopped fresh basil, other herbs like parsley, oregano, chives or cilantro also works well.
- Veggies – Add more veggies to this pasta salad, some great options are, sliced avocado, chopped artichoke or grilled eggplant or zucchini.
- Protein – Some canned lentils, chickpeas or beans are great plant-based options to add extra protein to this pasta salad.
This greek pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes can be served on its own as a light lunch and makes a great packed lunch for school or the office. Serve with a slice of bread like this homemade No knead olive bread or this No Knead Whole Wheat Bread.
Storage
This sun dried tomato and feta pasta salad can be prepared ahead of time. Perfect to bring to the summer bbq or picnic or for meal prep for the week. Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Stir it up well before serving and drizzle with a little extra olive oil before serving in desired.
Pasta salad does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing it.
Top Tip
For the best texture, boil the pasta to al dente. If the pasta is over cooked, it can fall apart and become mushy in this pasta salad. Choose a pasta shape of your liking, preferably without a pasta without a hollow center, like penne pasta, since the rest of the ingredients tend to get stuck inside this pasta shape. In this pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes recipe, gemelli is used. Other good pasta options for salad are fusilli, bowtie and orecchiette pasta.
FAQ
No, I don’t recommend freezing it. The vegetables and arugula will change texture after bering frozen and no longer crisp and delicious when defrosted. it is better to store the pasta salad in the fridge and make a new batch when needed.
This pasta salad is delicious on its own as a light lunch. But it also makes a great side dish to the summer bbq party, for picnics and potlucks. Serve with a side of homemade bread like this No knead olive bread and in the colder months, with a side of warming soup this Red pepper and lentil soup.
The short answer is, any kind of pasta works! Use a pasta shape of your liking, boiled just to al dente and then immediately rinsed in clod water to stop the cooking process. For this sun-dried tomato pasta salad, I prefer to use a pasta without a hollow center, like penne pasta, since the rest of the ingredients tend to get stuck inside this pasta shape. This recipe uses gemelli, but other good pasta options for salad are fusilli, bowtie and orecchiette pasta.
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This Sun dried tomato pasta salad is packed with flavor and the perfect spring or summer side dish. Filled with crunchy veggies, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil and salty feta cheese all tossed in an incredible light dressing. Easy and fast to make and a great crowd pleaser that can be made ahead of time.
- 14 ounces (400g) dried pasta of choice
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, either red, yellow or orange, chopped
- 2 cups (200g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup olives of choice (optional)
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced (oil reserved for the dressing)
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 ounces (50g) arugula
- ⅓ cup reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, or extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 large lemon)
- 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 bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, optional olives, red onion, feta cheese, chopped basil and arugula.
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Pour over the dressing and lightly toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste and top with some extra basil and feta cheese if desired.
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