Gluten-Free Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

Learn how to make the best gluten free pasta salad with this easy and flavorful recipe! With these expert tips you will learn how to prevent mushy GF pasta, the ideal way to store and serve, along with the best Italian-vibes mix-ins, like tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, salami, and mozzarella and a zesty sun-dried tomato dressing bringing it all together.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

refrigerate 1

Total Time 1 25

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

Pasta Salad

12 ounce gluten-free rotini or penne pasta GF Rummo or Barilla brand recommended
15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
12 ounce marinated artichoke hearts drained and chopped
8 ounce fresh mozzarella cubed in ½" 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 Italian sun dried tomatoes in oil chopped
½ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped

Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

¼ cup Italian sun dried tomatoes in 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 and leave water unsalted. Boil pasta to just al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
12 ounce gluten-free rotini or penne pasta
In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, salami, olives, tomatoes, onion, sun dried tomatoes, and parsley. Set aside.
15 ounce can chickpeas, 12 ounce marinated artichoke hearts, 8 ounce fresh mozzarella, 1 cup thick cut salami or summer sausage, ½ cup black or Kalamata olives, 1 pint grape tomatoes, ½ small red onion, 8 Italian sun dried tomatoes in oil, ½ cup fresh Italian parsley
In a pint-sized jar add all dressing ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine.
¼ cup Italian sun dried tomatoes in oil, 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
Pour dressing over pasta salad ingredients. Gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours to let flavors marinate. Set out 30-45 minutes before serving to take chill off and soften pasta.

Notes

Dairy-Free Modification

Making a dairy-free gluten-free pasta salad is very simple. All you need to do is eliminate the fresh mozzarella, or use a dairy-free cheese alternative. When making the homemade Italian dressing, skip the Parmesan cheese, or replace it with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.

Make-Ahead and Storing

It even tastes better if you let it sit up to overnight before serving. However, while traditional recipes will keep in the fridge 5-7 days, I don't recommend this for a GF pasta salad.

You may make the salad up to 24 hours before serving. When it's time to serve, let it sit out for 30-45 minutes, stirring a couple times, so it comes to room temp. This softens the bite of the pasta.

Also, 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