Go Back
I love this sun dried tomato pasta salad recipe with fresh mozzarella.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

This sun-dried tomato pasta salad is one of my favorite pasta salad recipes for summer. It's so easy to whip together and perfect for any summer BBQ or a quick weeknight dinner. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course pasta salad, Side Dish
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb pasta I used bowtie
  • 4 cups spinach chopped
  • 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • ⅓ cup walnuts chopped
  • 2 cups fresh mozzarella cubed
  • 4 tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, boil your salted pasta water (use plenty of salt!) and cook pasta according to the package instructions.
  • Cook your pasta al dente, drain, and then rinse with cool water. This'll help stop the cooking process and cool off the pasta. Pour into a large bowl and set aside.
  • Prep your other ingredients. Slice your sun-dried tomatoes into chunks, chop your spinach, chop your walnuts, and cut your fresh mozzarella into tiny cubes.
  • Add these ingredients to the large bowl with the pasta. Mix up the dressing by stirring together sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning.
  • Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and mix well.
  • Try a bite and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • For the best results, cover with plastic wrap (or store in an airtight container) in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Substitutions and variations

Cheese. You can use parmesan cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese for this recipe and it'll taste just as good!
Veggies. You can add other fresh vegetables like peas, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, green onions, or red pepper.
Other Mix-ins. You can add kalamata olives, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), white beans 
Protein. You can always add a protein of choice like cooked chicken or shrimp. 
Nuts. You can also use pine nuts, cashews, almonds, or any other nuts you like!
Lemon Juice. If you want to add a splash of zest and freshness, you can also add lemon juice to your homemade pasta salad dressing.
Vinegar. If you don't have balsamic vinegar, you can use red wine vinegar. 
Fresh Herbs. You can absolutely add fresh herbs to this pasta salad! I would recommend using fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley, or fresh oregano.
Pasta. You can use whatever pasta you prefer. Whether that be chickpea pasta, whole wheat pasta, a preferred gluten-free pasta, or whatever you like.
Keyword pasta salad recipes, summer side salad, sun dried tomato pasta salad