This Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes is a must-make for a Spring or summer party! It has the best combination of flavors with a creamy pesto dressing and it all comes together easily in less than 20 minutes!
As a dietitian, I am a big fan of a pasta salad with lots of veggies. And this one packs in cherry tomatoes, fresh arugula, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. It's all topped with pesto made with fresh basil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and heart healthy extra virgin olive oil.
Serve this Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad as a side dish with your main meal in the summer months or top it with rotisserie chicken, turkey meatballs, or your favorite protein and enjoy it as a quick lunch!
If you like this easy pesto pasta salad, you may like my Basil Parmesan Green Pasta Sauce, Greek Salad with Feta, or my Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad.
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Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is made with simple flavorful ingredients. Here's some ingredient notes, but be sure to check the printable recipe card for the full recipe.
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta - I use cavatappi pasta or rotini chickpea pasta for more protein. But any of the pasta types that has a lot of grooves work great! Farfalle pasta, fusilli noodle pasta, or even short cut pasta like orzo works here.
- Cherry Tomatoes - fresh cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work here. Cherry tomatoes are sweeter and have thinner skin.
- Sundried Tomatoes - get oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes with seasonings to add flavor!
- Arugula - peppery arugula adds more nutrients and flavor! It provides dietary fiber for a healthy gut, vitamin K, and antioxidants. I use baby arugula for this recipe.
- Red Onion - red onion adds crunch and sweetness. If you prefer a more mild onion flavor, use a shallot instead.
- Olives - black olives or kalamata olives work great with the flavors in this recipe.
- Mozzarella Cheese - if you can find small mozzarella balls (Bocconcini), they work great for this recipe! If not, you can tear a large fresh mozzarella ball into small pieces. You can use feta cheese instead if you want a saltier flavor.
- Artichoke Hearts - artichoke hearts are a great addition to this pesto pasta salad. They're rich in fiber & antioxidants. Grab a jar or can of artichoke hearts packed in water and give them a rough chop.
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional) - to add a bit of spice and flavor.
Homemade Pesto Ingredients
Feel free to use your favorite store-bought pesto if you don't have a few extra minutes to make it yourself. If you want to make the pesto at home, here are the ingredients:
- Fresh Basil - if you have your own basil, making pesto sauce is a great way to use it! If you don't have your own, you can usually find it in large quantities at the grocery store.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - olive oil is the base and one of my favorite ingredients in fresh basil pesto! It's important to use a high quality olive oil. Look for one that says "extra virgin" and "cold-pressed" or "first cold-pressed". Olive oil provides heart-healthy fats that support brain health and hormone health.
- Parmesan Cheese - grated parmesan cheese adds lots of flavor at the end. If possible, I highly suggest to buy a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself.
- Pine Nuts - pine nuts provide important nutrients including healthy fatty acids, magnesium, and vitamin E that has been shown to support brain health. Pine nuts are the most common nut used to make pesto, but you can replace them with cashews or almonds. Sunflower seeds work for a nut free option.
- Garlic - fresh garlic cloves add flavor. Minced garlic is also high in antioxidants and allium which has been shown to support immunity.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper - a bit of salt and pepper to tie all the flavors together.
How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Below are the instructions for how to make this easy recipe with some visuals that I hope are helpful! Check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full pesto pasta salad recipe.
- Step 1: Start by cooking your pasta in a large pot according to the package directions. Be sure to salt your pasta water! If you prefer al dente pasta, cook it 1-2 minutes less than the box calls for. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss it in a drizzle of olive oil or pasta water and let it cool to room temperature.
- Step 2: Make the pesto by adding the ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until everything is blended to your liking, drizzling in the olive oil last.
- Step 3: Half the cherry tomatoes and black olives and chop the artichoke hearts, red onion, arugula and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Step 4: to assemble the salad, add the cooked pasta and other ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the pesto on top and toss to combine, making sure it is well coated.
Hint: you can use a store-bought pesto to save time!
Dietitian Tip
One of my favorite ways to add nutrition to simple recipes like this pasta salad is to add more vegetables like the cherry tomatoes and arugula in this recipe. They add even more flavor and texture and also add important nutrients like antioxidant and dietary fiber!
Video of How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad
Here's a video showing how to make this recipe that I hope is helpful!
Variations
The best part about making this Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad at home is that there are so many different ways to customize it to your taste preferences. Below are some examples, but feel free to get creative!
- Spicy - add more red pepper flakes or some cayenne pepper to make it spicy.
- Deluxe - white beans and English cucumbers would be great additions to take things up a notch. Some other ideas for veggies are red bell pepper, broccoli, sweet peas, or fresh spinach.
- High-Protein - if you want to add protein, mix in some shredded chicken or your own favorite protein.
- Gluten-Free - there are plenty of gluten-free pasta options on the market! Use one of those if you want to make this easy pasta salad recipe GF.
Meal Prep and Storage
- Meal Prep: prep by making your own pesto in advance and store it in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Refrigerator - store your leftover Pesto Pasta Salad in and airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Expert Tips
- Add a bit of olive oil or pasta water to your pasta right when it finishes cooking to prevent it from sticking together.
- I suggest using a pasta cut that has a lot of grooves so that you get some of the dressing in every bite!
- Chop the vegetables into evenly sized pieces for equal flavor distribution!
- Add the pesto just before serving if you're making this pasta salad in advance.
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, this pasta salad is rich in nutrients. The vegetables provide antioxidants, dietary fiber, and nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C. Pesto provides heart healthy fatty acids that also support brain health and hormone health. Cheese provides calcium and protein. And the pasta provides carbohydrates which are the brain's preferred energy source.
I do suggest letting your pasta cool before combining the ingredients and adding the dressing. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pasta in the fridge or running it under cold water.
Absolutely! Feel free to use your favorite store-bought pesto instead of homemade. A little goes a long way so I suggest to use ¾ cup-1 cup.
Related
Looking for other dietitian recipes like this? Try these:
Perfect for Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes:
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram. Your reviews help support me and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love. 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
📖 Recipe
Easy Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta, dry I use cavatappi shaped pasta or rotini chickpea pasta
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
- 1 cup arugula
- ½ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ cup black olives, halved
- ½ cup mozzarella balls I use "little ones"
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup artichoke hearts, chopped optional
Homemade Pesto Ingredients (or use ¾ cup store-bought pesto)
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice 1 large lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup parmesan, grated
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Start by cooking your pasta in a large pot according to the package directions. Be sure to salt your pasta water! If you prefer al dente pasta, cook it 1-2 minutes less than the box calls for. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss it in a drizzle of olive oil or pasta water and let it cool to room temperature.
- Make the pesto by adding the ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until everything is blended to your liking, drizzling in the olive oil last.
- Half the cherry tomatoes and black olives and chop the artichoke hearts, red onion, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- To assemble the salad, add the cooked pasta and other ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the pesto on top and toss to combine, making sure it is well coated.
Video
Notes
- Add a bit of olive oil or pasta water to your pasta right when it finishes cooking to prevent it from sticking together.
- I suggest using a pasta cut that has a lot of grooves so that you get some of the dressing in every bite!
- Chop the vegetables into evenly sized pieces for equal flavor distribution!
- Add the pesto just before serving if you're making this pasta salad in advance.
- Meal Prep: prep by making your own pesto in advance and store it in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Refrigerator - store your leftover Pesto Pasta Salad in and airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
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