Vibrant in color and brimming with classic Italian flavors, this lively summer pasta salad was inspired by a Bon Appétit recipe dating way back to Y2K. This slightly adapted version has been on regular summer rotation in my kitchen ever since. It features a bold dressing, almost reminiscent of a puttanesca sauce (minus the anchovies), which contrasts beautifully against the plump juiciness of lush heirloom tomatoes, tender basil, and fresh mozzarella. Add a glass of wine, and perhaps a relaxing seat on a sunny veranda, and you're in for a splendid late summer meal.
This summer pasta salad pairs well with vibrant red wines like Barbera or Zinfandel. But if you're looking for an apéritif to precede this dish, an alpine Negroni makes a lovely choice. Or if you're in the mood for something on the fruity side, try kicking things off with a Vim and Violet (AKA blueberry Negroni).
Ingredients for Summer Pasta Salad
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed variety)
- capers
- garlic
- short pasta (i.e. rigatoni, penne, campanelle, or conchiglie)
- heirloom tomatoes (or whatever variety you prefer)
- pitted black olives
- fresh basil
- fresh mozzarella cheese (water-packed variety)
- Pargmigiano Reggiano
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Place the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic in a food processor with the blade attachment.
Blend until the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic are all finely chopped.
Set the dressing aside while you prepare the pasta.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the dressing to the pasta while it is still hot.
Toss to coat and set the pasta aside to cool.
In the meantime, prepare both cheeses and the tomatoes, basil, and olives.
When the pasta is cool, add the cheeses, tomatoes, basil, and olives to the bowl.
Gently toss everything together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the pasta salad to a serving dish and enjoy at room temperature.
Hint: I recommend choosing a short pasta with ridges and/or tunnels for this salad. It's best to opt for a shape that can trap the flavor of all those punchy little bits of sun-dried tomatoes and capers in the dressing.
Equipment
Technically speaking, you could make this summer pasta salad without the use of a food processor by just mincing the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic and then whisking them together with the olive oil and vinegar. But it is infinitely easier to blend up the dressing with a little mechanical help.
Storage
Summer pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Allow it to come back to room temperature before serving.
Top tip
When it comes to the fresh tomatoes for this dish, heirloom varieties are particularly wonderful for their sumptuous flavor and texture. But this pasta salad is still delightful when graced with the presence of other types of tomatoes. Above all, quality is the most important consideration, so choose whichever variety of tomato is the most ripe and fresh available in your local market.
Pairing
These are a couple of my favorite apéritifs to serve with summer pasta salad:
📖 Recipe
Summer Pasta Salad
Equipment
- food processor (for blending the dressing)
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed variety) drained
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1 fat garlic clove peeled and crushed
Salad
- 1 pound short pasta (i.e. rigatoni, penne, campanelle, or conchiglie)
- 12 ounces heirloom tomatoes (or whatever variety you prefer) coarsely chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (water-packed variety) drained and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup pitted black olives finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil thinly chopped
- 1 cup Pargmigiano Reggiano grated
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic in a food processor with the blade attachment.
- Blend until the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic are all finely chopped. Set the dressing aside.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing to the pasta while it is still hot and toss to coat. Set the pasta aside to cool.
- In the meantime, prepare both cheeses and the tomatoes, basil, and olives.
- When the pasta is cool, add the cheeses, tomatoes, basil, and olives to the bowl.
- Gently toss everything together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
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