When searching for a pasta salad recipe, you will find hundreds of options online. But this quick and easy pasta salad with semi-dried tomatoes is so tasty, with a delicious, tangy dressing.  It’s a quick, versatile dish that’s sure to be a success. Whether you’re preparing for a family meal, or entertaining guests, this pasta salad is a favourite.

Tangy Pasta Salad Dressing

Make the dressing using the oil from the semi-dried tomatoes container. It’s infused with rich tomato flavours, basil and other herbs that make the dressing so much better. Additionally, when adding garlic, mustard, vinegar, and sugar, you get a perfect, tangy dressing that goes so well with the easy to make pasta salad.

If you want to make this pasta salad ahead of time, you can. Simply follow the instructions and be sure to add the dressing to keep the pasta fresh for longer.

Quick and Easy Pasta Salad

Renae Diggles

Looking for a delicious pasta salad recipe? Try this quick and easy pasta salad with semi-dried tomatoes. Perfect for any occasion!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 10

Calories 371 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 500 g Chicken breast
• 500 g Wholemeal Spiral Pasta
• 200 g Semi-Dried Tomatoes
• 200 g Cherry Tomatoes
• 45 g Baby Spinach
• ½ Red Onion
• ¼ Dried Oregano
• ¼ Dried Thyme
• ¼ Dried Rosemary
• 1 tsp Fresh Dill
• ¼ bunch Fresh Basil
• 150 g Light Feta

Dressing

• ¼ cup Semi-Dried Tomato Oil
• 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• ½ tsp Minced Garlic
• 1½ tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Cracked Pepper

Instructions

Dressing

• Drain the tomato oil from the container of semi-dried tomatoes into a bowl. Add the sugar, mustard, vinegar, minced garlic and cracked pepper.
• Whisk the ingredients until they're well blended.

Pasta Salad

• Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water to cool it down.
• Cut the chicken into strips and fry in a pan with a spray of olive oil until cooked through. For a cold salad, place the chicken in the fridge to cool.
• Finely slice the red onion. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves. Cut the semi-dried tomatoes into smaller pieces.
• Next, add the fresh herbs. Add as little or as much dill as you'd like. Also, tear the larger spinach leaves and basil leaves into smaller pieces and leave the smaller leaves whole.
• Dice the feta into cubes.
• In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients (except for the feta) into the pasta.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and mix through. Next add the feta cubes, or you can crumble the feta over the top. Gently mix it through and you're ready to serve this tasty side dish!

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 24gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 228mgPotassium: 954mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 724IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg

Keyword easy pasta salad, pasta salad with semi-dried tomatoes, quick pasta salad recipe, semi-dried tomato salad

Tips and Swaps for Easy Pasta Salad

As Mentioned, you can make this pasta salad ahead of time. If anything, the flavours are enriched by leaving it to marinade in the refrigerator. It should stay nice and fresh from the dressing, but if you need to, you can add a little extra oil (olive oil is adequate) and mix it through.

Furthermore, this pasta salad is highly versatile. You can add just about anything that you want to it. When I make this at home, I’ll often add parmesan cheese instead of feta. Goats cheese compliments this dish too.

Also, ingredients such as seeds or nuts can add a crunchy element to the salad. Other ingredients that you might like to add include olives, so feel free to switch up the ingredients based on what you have on hand. You could always add grilled capsicum too.

If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, you could leave out the chicken all together, or add additional salad vegetables and cheese to bulk it up.

This easy pasta salad with semi-dried tomatoes is perfect for all occasions, all year round. Whether you’re making it to take to a party, or having it as side dish for dinner, it’s so quick and easy to make. And the bonus is that it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, so you can make it ahead of time.

If you enjoyed this easy salad recipe, check out some of our other great salad ideas and other healthy recipes!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Nutritional values are a guide and may vary depending on the quantities & brands used.