This Bruschetta Pasta Salad has fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, italian seasoning, olive oil, parmesan cheese and tender pasta for a delicious summer side dish you can put together in minutes! Great to bring to a potluck, cookout, picnic or pitch in!
Why You Will Love Bruschetta Pasta Salad
- FRESH, LIGHT INGREDIENTS – Great for cookouts, BBQs or any other summer gathering!
- EASY –
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
So, what is Bruschetta? A common appetizer on many menus in Italian Restaurants, it’s that delightful flavor combination of tomatoes, basil, olive and a garlic is usually piled on top of some grilled bread. But today we are going to mix it in with some pasta. What a brilliant idea!
For step-by-step instructions, check out the printable recipe card below. But here is what you’ll need to get started.
- PASTA – We use pasta shells because it has lots of nooks and crannies for that dressing to hide out in for maximum flavor. But you can really use any smaller pasta noodle that you’d like.
- CHERRY TOMATOES – Quartered. You can also use grape tomatoes or Plum style tomatoes if that is what you have.
- BASIL – It should be fresh basil that has been freshly chopped.
- PARMESAN CHEESE – Shredded. We recommend shredding your own block of parmesan cheese. Rather than buying the pre-shredded stuff.
- WHITE VINEGAR – For the dressing. Gives this pasta salad it’s tang!
- OLIVE OIL – Balances out the vinegar in the dressing. We always recommend using a quality olive oil.
- GARLIC CLOVES – Minced.
- SEASONINGS – Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste.
Can You Make Bruschetta Pasta Salad Ahead Of Time?
While we do suggest letting the ingredients sit together for about 20 minutes, but, generally speaking you don’t want to make this too far ahead of time. At some point, the noodles will get a little soggy.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This Bruschetta Pasta Salad would go great with lots of great dishes. Some ideas are:
Other Notes, Tips and Suggestions
- NOODLES– You can use any type of pasta you’d like. But we like the shells because they seem to trap all the yummy dressing inside of them. I’ve seen some version of this dish with Bowtie Pasta.
- TOMATOES– You can sub about for other kinds of tomatoes if you’d like. Diced Roma Tomatoes would be really delicious. Just make sure they are fresh, ripe hearty tomatoes that aren’t too watery. You may want to go organic for this recipe.
- USE FRESH BASIL- Obviously, you really need to use fresh, quality basil for this recipe.
- DON’T OVERCOOK PASTA- Yep. Don’t. Your Pasta Salad will come out soggy and gross and you will be unhappy.
- ADD BALSAMIC VINEGAR – Add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you’d like to give this recipe a little kick of zest.
- ADD PROTEIN – You can certainly add some meat to this pasta salad. Chunks of pepperoni, salami or even some diced grilled chicken would be great!
- ADD ONIONS – If you are a fan, add some red onions for extra flavor and crunch.
- TOP WITH MOZZARELLA – Add some fresh mozzarella cheese just before serving.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Bruschetta Pasta Salad. Please let us know how it turns out in the comments. Happy Eating!
ALSO CHECK OUT: 33 SUMMER SIDE DISH RECIPES!
OR LOOKING FOR MORE PASTA SALAD RECIPES? CHECK OUT:
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces shells pasta prepared
- 1 10- ounce package of cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- When the pasta is finished cooking, drain and run it under cold water and set it aside to cool completely.
- Combine the cold pasta with the cherry tomatoes, basil, and parmesan cheese. Stir until well mixed.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together the white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning until combined.
- Pour the mixture over the top of the pasta and toss to coat.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Comments & Reviews
Deborah Gohmann says
I will be making this pasta recipe, sounds delicious!
Kathy says
Yay! Please come back and let us know how you liked it!
Maria L Martinez says
Looks so good gonna make it soon.
Kathy says
Let us know how it turns out!
Dawn says
Can’t wait to make this recipe. It sounds deliciously refreshing.
Kathy says
Hope you enjoy it! Please come back and tell us how it was!
L l£ll says
All pasta salad recipes are the same on any post. You can just use your imagination. Basic stuff. No offense
Kathy says
Thanks for your “hot take” on pasta salad recipes. 🙂