This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is a summer staple! Juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, shaved parmesan and the most delicious balsamic dressing. Serve immediately or prepare ahead of time, then it’s perfect. Ideal for a party or just great for dinner – a dish that goes with everything!
Pasta salad summer!
Yes, I’m sharing another pasta salad!! But believe me, you don’t want to miss this.
Tender pasta in a delicious balsamic dressing with ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and some grated Parmesan cheese?
SIGN ME UP.
This is the ultimate summer meal in pasta salad form.
And this is no joke. There are plenty of days in the summer when I cook up complete meals using basil and tomatoes (and cheese, of course), and seriously, this pasta salad is out of this world.
It might not look like much. Just a few tomatoes and basil – but the balsamic dressing is what makes it even more over the top. And the longer it sits, the better it gets, making it perfect for parties or even prepping lunch the next day.
Now I know that bruschetta technically means “bread,” and well, we don’t make bread and pasta salad. But we take all the awesome bruschetta ingredients (tomatoes! garlic! basil!) and toss them together into a pasta salad with a dressing that’s unreal.
Seriously, this dressing is absolutely wonderful. just wait!!
Lacy has been making the pasta salad for months and raves about it. It’s so simple – but the flavors really harmonize to create this classic, incredibly flavorful cold pasta salad that goes with almost anything. It’s always a hit. You can make this as a base for a pasta salad and actually add chicken to it. Or you can serve it as an accompaniment to any grilled dish.
Or throw a party, of course!
This is how it goes on:
You want to use a small piece of pasta. This Mafaldini from Trader Joe’s is so cute and works perfectly. Or this baby Mafalda!
The dressing is perfect. Don’t skip the sugar! And I suggest actually using the sugar and not substituting honey or maple syrup for it. While I consistently use these ingredients in my dressings, here the granulated sugar is mixed with the balsamic vinegar, making the dressing syrupy. However, not in the bad sense. This thickens it up, which really helps coat each piece of pasta and tomato. That makes the pasta salad special.
The rest is easy. Ripe tomatoes, diced onions or shallots, lots of fresh basil. There’s a decent amount of garlic in the dressing, which is my favourite. It marinates in it and takes away some of the bite. But if you want more garlic, feel free to add it to the tomatoes too!
Toss is all together. Make sure everything is combined and evenly distributed. Then eat!
The best part is that you can serve it right away or let it sit for a while. If you’re taking it to a party, I would prepare and serve it right away just because the basil will wilt. But if you’re just making it for yourself, it’s a great dish to make ahead of time! It gets better in the fridge and goes with absolutely anything for dinner.
The best at all!
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is a summer staple! Juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, shaved parmesan and the most delicious balsamic dressing. Serve immediately or prepare ahead of time, then it’s perfect. Ideal for a party or just great for dinner – a dish that goes with everything!
- 1 Pound short cut noodles (I used Mafaldini from Trader Joe’s)
- 1½ cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- ½ diced white onion
- ½ Cup Fresh basil chiffonade
- ⅓ Cup grated parmesan cheese
Balsamic dressing
- 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon from sugar
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ Cup Extra virgin olive oil
-
Cook the noodles in salted water according to the instructions.
-
Mix the tomatoes with half the basil, the onion and 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Let this sit until the noodles are done and everything is ready to combine.
-
Drain the noodles and place in a large bowl. Mix with half of the dressing – this should cover each noodle well. Add all of the tomato and basil mixture, stirring well to distribute. Add the rest of the basil and the Parmesan cheese. Add the rest of the dressing and mix together.
-
Surcharge! This keeps great in the fridge and, barring a few wilted herbs, just keeps getting better. Feel free to add fresh basil when serving!
Balsamic dressing
-
Whisk together the garlic, vinegar, sugar, mustard, oregano, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the olive oil until the mixture is thick and emulsified. This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready to use! Simply whisk or shake before using.
And how cute are these noodles?!