Tuscan Pasta Salad -

Tuscan Pasta Salad

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta, salad, tuscan

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Chill Time: 1

Total Time: 1 25

Servings:

Calories: 371kcal

This easy tuscan pasta salad is quick to make and bold with flavours! Sundried tomatoes, black & green olives, artichoke hearts, feta cheese and a red vinegar dressing (with a secret ingredient) make it a delicious side dish!

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Equipment

Ingredients

Pasta Salad

4 cups uncooked tricolour rotini pasta (1 package) (makes 8 cups cooked)
½ cup marinated quartered artichoke hearts (1 small glass jar) roughly chopped ( save marinade water for vinaigrette)
½ cup sundried tomatoes diced
½ cup sliced black olives drained
½ cup sliced green olives drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes ( rainbow or red) halved
1 cup feta cheese (herb garlic or regular) crumbled

Vinaigrette

½ cup left-over artichoke marinade water
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chicken stock powder
¼ cup honey
½ cup olive oil extra virgin

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Instructions

Pasta

Cook tricolour rotini pasta according to box instructions (cook fully, not al dente). Drain and rinse with cold water for 30 seconds (pasta should still be slightly warm after rinse). Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Add to pasta bowl artichoke, sundried tomatoes, black & green olives, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese.

Vinaigrette

In a medium mixing bowl add left-over artichoke marinade water, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, oregano, chicken stock powder, honey and olive oil. Whisk well to combine and pour into pasta bowl.
Mix to combine pasta & vinaigrette with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight) before serving.

Notes

Can I use other types of pasta?

Any short pasta noodle will work. Penne, Bowtie, Canneroni...etc. What I would suggest is adjusting the amount of vinaigrette you add, especially if the noodles are miniature instead of regular size.

Why is there so much vinaigrette in this recipe?

I've made this dish several times and what I've discovered is that the pasta salad becomes really flavourful once it has absorbed all of the vinaigrette while it's chilling in the fridge. You can reduce the ingredients for the vinaigrette by 50% if your preference is to have less. (I do recommend letting the pasta rest for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving though).

What kind of tomatoes can I use?

There's no right or wrong way to use tomatoes in this recipe. It's a personal preference. For me, the rainbow heirloom cherry tomatoes tasted best but if you prefer red cherry tomatoes or even chopped roma, cocktail or beefsteak tomatoes that is totally ok too. Cherry tomatoes are good because they are bite size and sweeter (again, personal preference).

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