I always wonder how people just salad as their complete meal. The only salad that I would make a meal would be a pasta salad which has our favorite - pasta and loads of fresh vegetables and herbs. This salad was first introduced to me by my dear friend. I had made it right then for my son’s birthday and it was a great hit. Everyone loved it at the party and ever since then I make it for parties and pot luck. This is a great salad to pack for lunch box. My older one loves salad and this also keeps him filled up through the day. When I say pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes, don’t let that fool you in thinking that it just has the flavor of sun dried tomatoes. I have sun dried tomatoes in the salad, but it also has other fresh vegetables and herbs. If you grow herbs in your garden, make sure to pick some and use in the recipe. This pasta salad is just so colorful that no one can stay away from this. The flavor of the salad intensifies upon refrigerating and I would highly suggest making this the night before. If making for dinner, make the salad in the morning and let it chill until ready to serve. This is my favorite to take to summer picnics and I made it last week to take to our end of summer party. It is so easy to put together for a crowd and I usually eye ball the amount of vegetables to pasta. The dressing for the pasta salad is pretty simple and does not need too many ingredients. Make sure you buy a good quality sun dried tomatoes in oil for the salad as we use this oil for dressing the pasta salad
Why make this pasta salad?
This pasta salad with sundried tomatoes is the ultimate summer pasta salad that you will make!
It is colorful and so delicious that no one will be able to hold off after just one serving. Use as many and as much vegetables of your choice in this pasta salad recipe. A wonderful recipe to make for summer picnics as this pasta salad tastes great when served chilled. So easy to make and serve and the best part is we can make it way ahead of time and chill it. I usually make a large batch and keep it refrigerated to use through the week for quick lunch or for lunch box. This pasta salad is a great choice to make for lunch box as it is loved by kids and adults. A very adaptable salad recipe where you can add your favorite vegetables and also sneak in a couple of not so favorite! It is a vegan friendly pasta recipe. Make sure to check the labels of the pasta to make sure it is vegan.
Ingredients and substitutes
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes. Pasta - Use your favorite pasta in this summer pasta salad recipe. I like to use penne or spiral, but have used bow tie and shells as well. A great recipe to use whole grain pasta (it is one of my favorite). This particular time when I photographed the recipe, I have used tri color spirals. Vegetables - I have used fresh cherry tomatoes from our garden along with broccoli and bell pepper. I also use a little red onion and a good amount of fresh basil. Olives - I use Kalamata (Greek olives). Sun dried tomatoes - I buy sun dried tomatoes in oil from the store. Use a good quality product as we will be using this oil for the dressing. We have several options in the market as far the flavoring goes. I like to choose the basic sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and flavor it myself. For the dressing - we will need oil from the sun dried tomatoes jar, lime or lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, mustard powder, salt and pepper. I also use some crushed red peppers for spice. Mustard and crushed red pepper is optional and can be skipped.
Step by step process
Cook the pasta as per the cooking instructions on the box and drain. Make sure to cook the pasta al dente. Also when cooking the pasta, do not forget to salt the water liberally. This is the only time we can add salt to the pasta. Let the pasta cool down to room temperature.
Tip - Add some olive oil to the drained pasta and toss it well. This ensures that the pasta does not stick to each other.
In the same salted boiling water, cook the broccoli florets for about 3-4 minutes. Then drain them immediately onto a bowl with ice and water and let it cool down. Remove it from the cold water in about 2 minutes and drain.
Tip - Adding the cooked broccoli to the cold water ensures that the broccoli does not cook further and also helps retain its bright green color and texture.
To make the dressing, add all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk it well.
Take a large mixing bowl and start adding all the ingredients. First add the pasta and the broccoli, and then add the chopped cherry tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and the sun dried tomatoes. Mix them well and then pour the dressing over them. Toss the salad well and check the seasoning. At the end add the basil and mix once again gently.
Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate couple of hours before serving.
Expert tips
Cook the pasta al dente. Mushy pasta does not taste good in a pasta salad. Add salt when cooking the pasta. This is the only time we get to season the pasta. Add some oil to the pasta after cooking and toss it. This helps in keeping the pasta from sticking. If there is not enough oil in the sun dried tomatoes, add good quality olive oil to the dressing. Let the pasta and the broccoli cool down to room temperature before combining everything together. Keep a little extra dressing in hand to toss with the salad just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
More Pasta Salad Recipes
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