This Mediterranean pasta salad with artichokes, tomatoes, and olives is perfect for summer BBQs and potlucks! It’s packed with flavor and it comes together in less than 15 minutes!
Why This Recipe Works
I’m a huge fan of pasta salads and this Mediterranean pasta salad is one of my go-to recipes for BBQs and picnics. It’s always gone super fast and the preparation couldn’t be much easier.
I just love the combination of marinated artichoke hearts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and arugula. It just tastes like taking a trip to Italy!
From start to finish, you need less than 15 minutes! While the pasta is cooking on the stovetop, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients and then just combine everything in a large bowl. Voilà – you’ve got a delicious pasta salad in no time!
Vegan pesto rosso with sun-dried tomatoes serves as a dressing for this pasta salad, which makes things super easy.
I used a store-bought vegan pesto for this recipe, but of course you could also make it from scratch. You can use my recipe for homemade vegan pesto with basil and replace the amount of basil and parsley with sun-dried tomatoes (1 cup in total).
I’ve been making this easy pasta salad for years and it’s always a winner!
What Goes Into This Recipe:
- Pasta – I used farfalle pasta, but the recipe also works great with penne or rotini pasta.
- Pesto – I used a store-bought pesto rosso, a red pesto with sun-dried tomatoes. You could also use my vegan pesto with basil for a change. Most pestos contain Parmesan cheese, but it’s fairly easy to find a vegan version these days.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes – in oil.
- Artichokes – I used marinated artichoke hearts in oil.
- Cherry Tomatoes – they are more aromatic than bigger tomatoes.
- Arugula – if you’re not a fan of arugula, you can replace it with baby spinach.
- Olives – black olives.
- Pine Nuts – roast them in a pan without oil until golden for the perfect flavor.
- Salt & Pepper
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Rinse with cold water after cooking and set aside.
2. Step: In the meantime, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the artichokes. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.
3. Step: Place the pine nuts in a frying pan without oil and cook them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir them frequently until golden. Pay attention and don’t leave the stove as they burn easily.
4. Step: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the roasted pine nuts.
Recipe Notes
- You’re not a fan of arugula? Then just use baby spinach instead.
- If you want to add a bit of spiciness, you could sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top.
- This pasta salad is also great with leftover roasted veggies like bell pepper and zucchini.
- You could also add canned chickpeas to make this salad more filling. Chickpeas are a great source of protein. If you’ve got a bit more time, try this pasta salad with roasted chickpeas. I love adding them to all kinds of salads!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does This Pasta Salad Last?
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last for about 3-5 days.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Yes, you can easily make it the night before and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
Why Should I Rinse The Pasta After Cooking It?
This way the cooking process will be stopped immediately and they won’t become too mushy for the pasta salad. And it’s also an easy way to quickly bring down the temperature of the pasta. Besides, it also helps that the pasta doesn’t clump together.
Related Recipes
- Southwestern Pasta Salad
- Tortellini Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
- California Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Asparagus Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
I Like To Hear From You!
I hope you like this Mediterranean pasta salad as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Mediterranean pasta salad
Ingredients
- 9 oz farfalle
- 4 tablespoons vegan pesto rosso (red pesto with sun-dried tomatoes) use a store-bought vegan one or use homemade vegan pesto
- 10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
- 10 artichoke hearts in oil, roughly chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 2 cups arugula
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Rinse with cold water after cooking and set aside.
- In the meantime, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the artichokes. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.
- Place the pine nuts in a frying pan without oil and cook them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir them frequently until golden. Pay attention and don't leave the stove as they burn easily.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the roasted pine nuts.
Notes
- You're not a fan of arugula? Then just use baby spinach instead.
- If you want to add a bit of spiciness, you could sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top.
- This pasta salad is also great with leftover roasted veggies like bell pepper and zucchini.
- You could also add canned chickpeas to make this salad more filling. Chickpeas are a great source of protein. If you've got a bit more time, try this pasta salad with roasted chickpeas. I love adding them to all kinds of salads!
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