Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
A satisfying and high-protein pasta salad packed with vibrant veggies and sun-dried tomatoes, perfect for busy days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 oz. short pasta (rigatoni, rotini, bow tie, etc.)
- 3 oz. baby spinach
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil with Italian herbs (8.5 oz., oil drained)
- ½ red onion (small diced)
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 8 oz. mozzarella pearls
- ⅓ cup chopped basil (packed)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (or enough to make 2/3 cup with oil from tomatoes)
- ⅓ cup oil drained from sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (regular or white)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Boil a large pot of salted water, cook the short pasta according to package instructions until al dente, and reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- Prep the veggies: Dice the red onion, halve the cherry tomatoes, and rinse the baby spinach.
- Mix the dressing: In a large mixing bowl, combine sun-dried tomatoes, their oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Combine it all: Add the drained pasta to the dressing while warm, then toss in the cherry tomatoes, onions, spinach, mozzarella, and basil.
- Chill and serve: Let the salad chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
For serving, drizzle with extra olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan, and add fresh basil leaves. Can be made ahead of time and actually gets better after a few hours.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
Keywords: pasta salad, sun dried tomatoes, high protein, vegetarian, Italian