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!

overhead shot of cold pasta salad with wooden spoons sticking out of bowl

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

close up of sun dried tomato pasta salad with artichoke hearts and fresh mozzeralla

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

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.

overhead shot of gluten free pasta salad with wooden spoons scooping up a serving

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Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad