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
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!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: 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!
Nice salad – thank you.
I would like to make this for a party I’m hosting. How much do you think I need for 40 people?
Hi Monique! I’m not 100% sure, but I would at least triple the recipe for that many people.
How many does this serve?
Sounds great. I haven’t made it yet but have a question, when you say 2 green onions, do you mean scallions? Because 2 raw onions for 3 cups of pasta sounds like a lot to me.
Hi Paul! Yes, I am referring to scallions not sweet or yellow/white onions!
As an Italian, you must put fresh mozzarella otherwise known as Bocconcini into this recipe. It makes the whole thing.
Bocconcini would be a wonderful addition!
I made this yesterday and paired it with grilled chicken legs and thighs. Absolutely wonderful!! I’ll be making this time and time again. Oh and today we ate the leftovers for lunch!!! Thanks so much for this one!!!
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!