Description
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is a vibrant and flavorful dish perfect for warm-weather meals or as a delightful side. Featuring rotini pasta tossed with artichokes, kalamata olives, spring onions with chives, vine ripe tomatoes, and topped with parmesan cheese, all smothered in a tangy red pepper Italian dressing blended with tomato paste. Served chilled, this salad offers a refreshing Mediterranean twist that’s both hearty and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Fresh Ingredients
- 1 jar of artichokes (approximately 12 oz, drained)
- 12 kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 stalk of spring onions, diced with chives (about 1/4 cup)
- 3 vine ripe tomatoes (cluster; diced)
Dairy
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Pantry
- 1 package rotini garden pasta (typically 12–16 oz)
- 16 oz (1 bottle) red pepper Italian dressing
- 5.5 oz (1 can) tomato paste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Once cooked, drain the pasta thoroughly and set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare Vegetables: While the pasta is cooking, dice the vine ripe tomatoes, chop the kalamata olives, and dice the spring onions along with their chives. Drain the jar of artichokes and roughly chop if they aren’t already in bite-sized pieces.
- Combine Pasta and Vegetables: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked and drained pasta with the diced tomatoes, spring onions, olives, and artichokes. Toss everything together to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Prepare Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the red pepper Italian dressing and tomato paste until well blended and smooth. This creates a tangy, flavorful sauce to coat the pasta salad.
- Toss With Dressing: Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta and vegetable combination. Toss well to ensure all components are evenly coated with the sauce.
- Add Cheese: Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the pasta salad and toss lightly to incorporate the cheese without breaking down the salad.
- Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer to a container and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to meld. For best results, chill overnight before serving.
Notes
- Use salted boiling water for the pasta to enhance flavor.
- Chilling the salad for several hours or overnight really helps the flavors to meld beautifully.
- You can substitute the red pepper Italian dressing with another Italian dressing if preferred, but the red pepper adds a nice kick.
- For a vegan version, omit the parmesan cheese or use a vegan parmesan alternative.
- This salad keeps well for up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling and Mixing
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Mediterranean pasta salad, rotini pasta salad, artichoke pasta, kalamata olives salad, Italian dressing pasta salad, easy summer salad, chilled pasta salad
