Mediterranean Pasta Salad

4.98 from 103 votes

A simple Mediterranean pasta salad loaded with fresh arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, pine nuts, kalamata olives, basil pesto and so much more! It's a copy-cat recipe for Cafe Express's Pasta Amore and let me just say it's actually BETTER!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: 30 Minute Meals, Rice & Pasta

Servings:

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Marzia

Equipment

Ingredients

salad:

12 ounces pasta any small shape will do, I like penne
12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts drained and roughly chopped
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained + reserve 2 tablespoons of oil)
½ cup kalamata olives chopped
3 tablespoons capers rinsed
¼ cup scallions sliced
¼ cup parsley chopped
1 cup packed fresh arugula roughly chopped
⅓ cup parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons pine nuts

dressing:

3 tablespoons pesto homemade or store bought
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil from the jar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

SALAD: Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Rinse and drain the pasta and allow it to cool to room temperature. You can speed this up by spreading the pasta out on a baking sheet and refrigerating it for 30 minutes.
TOSS: In a large bowl combine the cooled pasta, chopped artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, scallions, and parsley. Toss to combine.
MAKE-AHEAD: At this point, you can cover and store the pasta salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve if you want to serve it cold.
DRESSING: In a small bowl, mix together the pesto, olive oil, sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. The dressing can be covered and refrigerated until you're ready to serve the salad.
ASSEMBLY: Right before serving, add the arugula, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts into the salad and toss to combine. Dress with the prepared dressing and taste for seasonings. Adjust with additional salt or other ingredients to preference.

Notes

Add protein: Feel free to toss in cooked chicken to make this salad even heartier.
Transporting this salad: to simplify things, you can place the arugula, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts on top of the prepared salad and toss when you get there with the dressing.

Nutrition