This quick & easy cold Mediterranean pasta salad is bursting with sweet cherry tomatoes, hearty sun-dried tomatoes, and vibrant baby spinach. A summer pasta salad with a simple homemade dressing (without mayo) so it can be made ahead!

Overhead shot of a plate with pasta salad and a fork surrounded by glasses of water, tomatoes on the vine, a cloth napkin, glasses of water, and a small bowl with pepper.

5 star review

“SO good and easy! It’s flavor packed and a great lunch on the go. Both of my kiddos devoured it. Thanks so much! ”

– Sarah D
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Mediterranean Pasta Salad, but Make It Simple

I love a good time-saving recipe, especially if it’s easy to throw together and can be whipped up for any occasion. Whether it’s last minute dinner, a barbecue with friends, a quick weeknight dinner when you’re feeling low on energy but still want something yummy, or those times when you want a healthy and delicious lunch for the week, these types of recipes are a secret weapon in your cooking arsenal. And this Mediterranean pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes is just that! It’s an easy summer pasta salad side dish (which tastes amazing with my slow cooker barbecue chicken) that I love to rotate with my no-mayo macaroni salad with veggies.

Plus, with just a few simple ingredients, including small-shape pasta, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and baby spinach, this dish is jam-packed with flavor and ready in less than 20 minutes. And what’s especially great about this recipe is that you can customize it to your liking, whether that’s adding mozzarella cheese, olives additional vegetables, or some protein like chicken or white beans – the possibilities are endless!

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Overhead shot of an assortment of containers with the following ingredients: pasta, salt and pepper, onion, oil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and vinegar.
Gather ingredients and cook pasta.
Overhead shot of a glass bowl with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Make the dressing.
Overhead shot of a glass bowl with cooked pasta.
Coat warm cooked pasta with dressing.
Overhead shot of a glass bowl with sliced onions, spinach, cherry tomatoees, and chopped sun dried tomatoes.
Add onions, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach.
Overhead photo of a glass bowl with pasta salad that has cherry tomatoes, sliced onions, and basil in it.
Season to taste and serve.

Follow my step-by-step video:

Time-Saving Tips & Tricks

When creating this recipe, I tried to simplify the ingredient list as much as possible, while not losing out on flavor. While the pasta is cooking, whip up a simple dressing featuring oil from the sun dried tomatoes, which is packed with more flavor than simple olive oil. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, mix it with the dressing and let the dressing absorb for five minutes.

While the pasta is marinating, use that time to chop the sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and spinach. It’s great served at room temperature, but also holds up well in the fridge, so it can be made ahead of time for meals throughout the week or for a special celebration.

Make It Gluten Free + Dairy Free

For a gluten free pasta salad, use your favorite gluten free small-shape pasta. This recipe is naturally dairy free, but if you do add cheese, use dairy free cheese.

When it Comes to Summer Pasta Salad, The Variations are Endless!

While this recipe is delicious as-is, it is also a great canvas for so many other ingredients!

  • Caprese Style: Add fresh mozzarella, replace the spinach with fresh basil, and drizzle with store-bought balsamic glaze.
  • Mediterranean Extra: Add crumbled feta, marinated artichokes, and sliced olives.
  • With Goat Cheese: This sun dried tomato pasta salad tastes really good with crumbled goat cheese.
  • With Nuts: Nuts such as toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds add a delicious crunch and extra protein boost.
  • Protein: Pack in some protein by topping the salad with chicken, like rotisserie chicken, balsamic grilled chicken, or greek yogurt marinated chicken. Or add a seafood twist by topping with a can of tuna or grilled shrimp.
  • Plant-Based Protein: Add some white beans for a protein-packed vegan pasta salad.
Overhead shot of an oval serving plate with pasta salad and a fork surrounded by glasses of water, tomatoes on the vine, a cloth napkin, glasses of water, and a small bowl with pepper.

Key Ingredients and Substitution Notes

  • Pasta: Any small-shape pasta will work, such as corkscrew, fusilli, gemelli, bowtie (farfalle), or cavatappi. 
  • Fresh garlic: I love the flavor of fresh garlic, and since there are so few ingredients in this recipe, fresh is preferred. 
  • Sun dried tomatoes: Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil is essential since you will use some of the oil for the dressing. 
  • Extra virgin olive oil: I highly recommend using extra virgin olive oil, since the olive oil is a pronounced flavor in the recipe. 
  • White wine vinegar: Red wine vinegar could be used as well. Or you could replace some of the vinegar with lemon juice, but I would not recommend using all lemon juice. You could do part lemon juice and part apple cider vinegar. 
  • Cherry tomatoes: I love the combo of fresh cherry tomatoes with minced sun dried tomatoes. Larger diced tomatoes could be used instead.
  • Baby spinach: If using spinach, fresh spinach is best. You could also substitute with another fresh green such as arugula or basil.
Overhead shot of a plate with pasta salad and a fork surrounded by glasses of water, tomatoes on the vine, a cloth napkin, glasses of water, and a small bowl with pepper.
5 stars (4 ratings)

Mediterranean Pasta Salad (w/ Sun-Dried Tomatoes!)

by Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
This quick & easy cold Mediterranean pasta salad is bursting with sweet cherry tomatoes, hearty sun-dried tomatoes, and vibrant baby spinach. A summer pasta salad with a simple homemade dressing — without mayo — so it can be made ahead!
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound pound small-shape pasta (such as corkscrew, fusilli, gemelli, bowtie (farfalle), or cavatappi)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 8.5 ounces of sun dried tomatoes in oil
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced into half moons
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach, thinly sliced

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a strong boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook just shy of al dente, or about 1-2 minutes under the package instructions. 
  • While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing in a large bowl by combining the garlic, oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes (set the sun dried tomatoes remaining in the jar aside while making the rest of the dressing), olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, whisking to combine.
  • When the pasta is ready, drain the pasta but do not rinse. Immediately transfer the hot pasta to the bowl with the dressing and mix to combine. Allow to sit for 5 minutes for the pasta to absorb the dressing, tossing occasionally.
  • While the pasta is marinating in the dressing, remove the sun dried tomatoes from the jar and finely chop.
  • Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and spinach to the bowl along with the pasta and dressing, tossing to combine.
  • Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or vinegar to taste. Serve warm at room temperature, or cold.

Notes

  • See blog post for ingredient substitutions, variations, storage, and more.
  • Add crumbled feta, goat cheese, or fresh mozzarella for extra heartiness and flavor.
Course: dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 8), Calories: 258kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 308mg, Potassium: 307mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 979IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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