Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is a perfect summer side dish. Loaded with tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese and noodles this salad is a must make dish!
Is there even a better foodie match than tomatoes with basil and garlic and cheese?! Now let’s add some noodles and you have a Bruschetta Pasta Salad. Oh yes…think about that for a second. You want to make it don’t you? Picture yourself on a sunny summer deck, with a glass of wine (or sparkler) in hand…you’re sitting down to a delicious summer meal and this salad is on the menu. Ahhhh, so good.
Bruschetta + pasta = delicious.
I love this flavour combination so much that I dedicate 2 big pots in my garden to growing tomatoes and basil. These two plants are a match made in heaven, even in the garden…they’re perfect companion plants that help each other grow. When I plant them side by side I get the best basil in the world! And that means plenty of bruschetta, bruschetta sheet pan chicken, goat cheese tarts, Caprese salad, and this Bruschetta Pasta Salad. Hello summer.
Simple, Fresh and Delicious
So let’s get back to this pasta dish, shall we? This dish is fresh and very easy to put together. For this pasta salad the noodles, tomatoes and basil are tossed with olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, some parmesan cheese, then seasoned with salt and pepper. And you can use any kind of noodles that you like for this dish, I just happened to have some orecchiette noodles around so I used them. I liked how the shape of the noodle held the bruschetta so you had a mouthful of flavour in each bite. So good!
Bruschetta Pasta Salad Recipe Tips:
- Tomatoes: Use the most fresh and flavourful tomatoes you can find for this salad! Vine ripened and grape tomatoes are especially delicious.
- Pasta: You can use any kind of pasta that you like. For this particular recipe I used orecchiette noodles which were great because they’re almost like a little cup that holds the bruschetta. Spiral noodles, bows and penne are also good. Some people have used ravioli and tortellini noodles which would be delicious!
- Basil: Fresh basil is the only way to go for this salad, it’s the most flavourful!
- Parmesan: All kinds of parmesan work in this recipe, but freshly grated is the BEST!
- Options: Fresh Bocconcini cheese would make a delicious addition to this salad.
- Can I make this ahead of time? This pasta salad is really best enjoyed within a few hours of making it because the noodles tend to soak up all the dressing. If you want to make it ahead of time, I would suggest making a little extra dressing to toss in right before you serve it.
- Meal Suggestions: This Bruschetta Pasta Salad would be delicious served with Bruschetta Sheet Pan Chicken, or roasted or grilled chicken and burgers.
- Tip! Oh, and you’re gonna need a mint…trust me on this one. 😉
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked pasta
- 5 tomatoes chopped (I use vine ripened because they have the most flavour!)
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp red onion chopped finely
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bunch fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 - 4 tsp balsamic vinegar to your taste
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.
- Let this mixture rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Then toss the tomato mixture with the cooked noodles.
- Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
- You can serve and enjoy this recipe right away, or let it rest for up to an hour before enjoying!
Thank you for PINNING!
Looking for more Pasta Salads? Here are some great ones!
Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing
Summer Roll Salad with Peanut Dressing
Have a delicious day!
Hello,
I am allergic to Balsamic vinegar. The only kind of vinegar I can have is regular white. Can I substitute that or is there something else you recommend?
hi , I have tried soo many pasta salads and just cant find one I like . this sounds delicious . I am Italian and I also think I would add fresh mozzarella and the shredded parmesan too . pinned it . I am definatelly going to try this .
thank you for sharing
I made this the other night it turned out great! My husband and I took leftovers to work for lunch the next day and it was still delicious. I used big bow tie noodles and I think next time small shells would be better. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s a favourite of ours as well!
When your pasta salads got “pretested” in bowls by the kids before going to a pot luck..you hit jackppt! Thank you
Oh I love that!!
Fabulous!! I can see myself making this over and over.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Kim! It’s perfect for summer!
Made this for a pot luck at church & have to let you know that it was raved about by so many people!! Thanks for sharing the recipe! My husband keeps asking me to make it again so am doing that today.
I don’t like to repeat recipes often, but I’ve been having this meal 2-3 times a month for probably a year! I’ve been making this with cheese tortellini or ravioli to bulk up the pasta part. Sooo good!
I’m so glad you like it Jess! And great idea to use cheese tortellini…I’m totally going to try this!
Every time I make this I get the best compliments! Thank you for your delicious recipe!
Oh I love that!! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
I LOVE this Jo-Anna! Beautiful light summer recipe…the key of course is to get the best, flavorful tomatoes. I saw this recipe and went to my Publix and was lucky to find amazing vine-ripened tomatoes (not always available in FL, I’m spoiled from my up north tomatoes). I didn’t really measure much, I did use the recipe amount of tomatoes and pasta…the rest I just put in the amount I wanted (more cheese, gr onions & a tad more oil & vinegar). Please use a block of real parmesan and shred, real garlic (not in jar)…everything fresh is so much better. It’s delicious, I’m taking to a picnic but am trying a little plate of it before I go! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Diane! And you’re absolutely right, you have to use the best, most flavourful tomatoes you can find!
Would this sit okay overnight? Thinking of bringing it for a work pot luck. Or what do you recommend waiting to mix till it’s time?
Hi Kate! This salad really is best served within a couple hours of making it. So if you can, make it in the morning to serve at lunch. To speed things up, you could always cook the noodles the night before and have everything ready to be mixed together in the morning. Hope that helps!
Jo-Anna
Thank you! Unfortunately I’d have to wake up at like 5 to make it so I will leave all the ingredients separate and combine at then end. How do you recommend making sure the pasta doesn’t stick together while I wait to combine ingredients?
This salad was perfect for our family weekend gathering!