Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad has a creamy parmesan Italian dressing mixed with gluten free pasta or traditional, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, salami, and fresh mozzarella. This unique and flavorful cold pasta salad is guaranteed to be devoured quickly at BBQs and potlucks!
Ingredients Needed
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad is a cold, creamy, traditional or gluten free pasta salad loaded with fresh ingredients, making it the perfect dish for a hot summer’s day.
Other than the pasta itself, the other ingredients are suggested additions. Make it how you like it, keeping it vegetarian without the salami, or omitting any ingredients you don’t care for.
Salad Ingredients:
- Rotini or penne pasta, either gluten free or regular
- Chickpeas
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Fresh mozzarella
- Thick cut salami or summer sausages
- Black or Kalamata olives
- Grape tomatoes – Leave them uncut so the tomato’s juice doesn’t water down the salad
- Red onion
- Sun dried tomatoes in Italian herbs
- Fresh Italian parsley
Dressing Ingredients:
- Oil from sun dried tomato jar
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Parmesan cheese
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Sugar
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Can this Gluten Free Pasta Salad recipe be Made Dairy Free?
I have good news for those of you who are avoiding dairy – you can still enjoy this easy gluten free pasta salad!
Making this recipe dairy free is very simple. All you need to do is eliminate the fresh mozzarella, and double check to be sure the summer sausage is dairy free as well.
If you would like to add a plant-based, dairy free cheese substitute to your salad, feel free! When making the homemade Italian dressing, skip the Parmesan cheese. Now you have a yummy, gluten and dairy free pasta salad to enjoy.
How Far in Advance Can Pasta Salad Be Made?
Pasta salad is a wonderful dish to make ahead, and one of those dishes that some believe tastes even better after a day in the fridge. Most pasta salads will keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Leaving the tomatoes uncut helps persevere this pasta salad recipe for longer. Otherwise the juice from the tomatoes make the salad watery upon sitting.
Best Pasta to Use
When making pasta salad, the type of pasta really does matter. Usually fresh is best, but that isn’t the case here. With pasta salad, you want to use dried pasta, which is hearty enough to stand up to the sun dried tomato Italian dressing for a longer period of time.
Also, it is best if the pasta is short and has a shape that will trap some of the salad dressing – so that each bite is guaranteed to be loaded with flavor! If you are making a gluten free pasta salad, be sure to choose a pasta that is completely free from gluten. My preferred brand to use is Barilla gluten free.
Here are some great pastas to use when making a salad, like this Sun Dried Tomato salad:
- Farfalle
- Fusilli
- Bowtie
- Penne
- Macaroni
- Rotini
How to Make Gluten Free Pasta Salad
Making gluten free pasta salad isn’t as simple as swapping out the type of pasta. Since the starches are different, you want to use some tricks to make the Italian pasta salad taste just as good as a traditional version!
Here are some things you may want to consider:
- If you are avoiding gluten, you will want to be sure the pasta you choose is completely gluten free. Also, double check the summer sausage and the sun dried tomato in Italian herbs to be sure they do not contain gluten as well.
- Unlike with regular pasta, when using gluten free pasta leave the water unsalted. Gluten free pasta soaks up too much of the salt while boiling and can leave your pasta much more salty than you may like.
- Cook the pasta to just al dente. Part of what makes a good pasta salad is when the noodles remain firm. Nobody wants a mushy pasta salad!
- To help keep your pasta al dente, rinse the noodles with cold water after pouring them into the colander. This will stop the pasta from further cooking.
- My favorite gluten free pasta is Barilla. You can use rotini, bowties, penne, or macaroni noodles for a delicious and creamy gluten free macaroni salad.
- Pasta salad is best served at room temperature, and this is especially the case with gluten free pasta salad. Gluten free pasta gets harder upon refrigeration, so make sure you set out your salad 20-30 minutes before serving to take the chill off.
What Else Can Be Added
Sun Dried Tomato pasta salad is adaptable to make it the salad of your dreams. Consider adding any of these items to your creamy Italian salad:
- Tuna
- Chicken
- Pepperoni
- Red, yellow or orange peppers
- Jalapeno peppers for a kick!
- Pepperoncini
- Sunflower seeds
- Plant-based meat substitute
- Prosciutto
- Cucumber
- Green onion
Alternative Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Versions
This creamy sun dried Italian dressing recipe can be used to make many varieties of pasta salad. The hard part is going to be choosing your favorite!
Add the following ingredients to your pasta and toss in the dressing to make various pasta salad recipes:
- Caprese – mozzarella, basil and tomato
- Spinach sun dried tomato – fresh basil, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese
- Feta – feta, sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, tomatoes
- Greek – feta, tomato, Kalamata olives, red onion, red bell pepper, cucumber
- Tuscan – sun dried tomato, red bell pepper, olives, fresh basil, spinach, Parmesan cheese
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What to Serve With Gluten Free Pasta Salad
- Gluten-Free Baked Beans – Southern-style with sweet and tangy sauce and crispy bacon.
- 7 Layer Salad – Layers an ultra creamy dressing with lettuce, peas, cheese, eggs, and bacon.
- Frozen Fruit Salad – A creamy ambrosia-style salad mixed together with bananas, pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and Cool Whip.
- Grilled Zucchini – Uses a handful of staple kitchen ingredients for a marinade, cooks on the grill in minutes, and is topped with fresh lemon and parmesan.
- Green Bean Salad – Green beans, tomatoes, and red onions with an Italian balsamic vinaigrette and served cold with blue or feta cheese.
- Amish Potato Salad – This gluten free potato salad has a classic, old fashioned taste dotted with pimentos, sweet pickles, and hard boiled eggs.
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Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 12 ounce rotini or penne pasta, gluten free or regular
- 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 12 ounce marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 8 ounce fresh mozzarella, cubed in 1/2" pieces
- 1 cup thick cut salami or summer sausage, chopped in bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup black or Kalamata olives, halved
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- ½ small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 8 sun dried tomatoes in Italian herbs, chopped
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Sun Dried Tomato Dressing
- ¼ cup sun dried tomato in Italian herbs oil, drained from jar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If using gluten free pasta, leave water unsalted. If using regular pasta, salt water. Boil pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
- In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, salami, olives, onion, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and parsley. Set aside.
- In a pint-sized jar add all dressing ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine.
- Pour dressing over pasta salad ingredients. Gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors marinate. Set out 20-30 minutes before serving to take chill off and soften pasta.
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Equipment Needed
Recipe Notes
Gluten Free Tips
Here are some things you may want to consider:- Unlike with regular pasta, when using gluten free pasta leave the water unsalted. Gluten free pasta soaks up too much of the salt while boiling and can leave your pasta much more salty than you may like.
- Cook the pasta to just al dente. Part of what makes a good pasta salad is when the noodles remain firm. Nobody wants a mushy pasta salad!
- To help keep your pasta al dente, rinse the noodles with cold water after pouring them into the colander. This will stop the pasta from further cooking.
- My favorite gluten free pasta is Barilla.
- Pasta salad is best served at room temperature, and this is especially the case with gluten free pasta salad. Gluten free pasta gets harder upon refrigeration, so make sure you set out your salad 20-30 minutes before serving to take the chill off.
How Far in Advance Can Pasta Salad Be Made?
Most pasta salads will keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Leaving the tomatoes uncut helps persevere this pasta salad recipe for longer. Otherwise the juice from the tomatoes make the salad watery upon sitting.Nutrition
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