Sundried tomato pasta salad

Sundried tomato pasta salad-a hearty vegetarian salad bursting with flavors. The best part of this pasta salad is the dressing made with sundried tomatoes and walnuts which gives it a taste similar to pesto pasta salad. It's delicious!

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Making time 5

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

1 Large cooking pot
1 Large strainer
1 Large salad bowl

Ingredients

375 grams farfalle
220 grams sundried tomatoes in oil chopped or sliced
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes cut into half
2 cups baby spinach
1 medium-sized red onion thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup fresh parsley/ cilantro for garnishing
½ cup chopped or crumbled feta around 100 grams
¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
2+ 2 tablespoons chopped walnut kernels
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Water to cook pasta

Instructions

Cook pasta al dente as per the instructions given on its packet. Preserve some pasta water, it will be used in the salad dressing.
Put the cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add baby spinach and 1-2 tablespoons of oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes. Gently mix and cover the spinach leaves with hot pasta so they get slightly cooked.
Add sliced onion, cherry tomatoes, sliced sundried tomatoes, olives, chopped walnuts, chopped parsley, or cilantro.
In a grinding jar, put two whole sundried tomatoes, garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of walnuts, chili flakes, oregano, basil, black pepper, salt, dijon mustard, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water preserved in step one. Pulse to make a paste.
Add the paste to the salad bowl.
Also, add around ¼ cup of oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes and add to the salad. Gently toss until everything gets nicely mixed.
Before serving, add feta and more fresh parsley or cilantro.

Video

Notes

Cook pasta al dente. If you overcook them, they will start breaking when you toss them in the salad.
Feel free to use any short pasta of your choice.
Instead of balsamic vinegar, you can also use white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice.
Adjust the quantity of seasonings to suit your taste.
Pinenuts can also be used instead of walnuts to make this salad.
More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition