This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is the perfect Summer salad! Fresh basil, parmesan, and tomatoes are swirled with tender tortellini and bowtie pasta and topped with an easy homemade dressing!
Helloooooo tomato season!
It’s that glorious time of year where I bombard y’all with #ALLTHETOMATOES because they’re literally all I want to eat right now.
Today’s tomato faceplant features familiar pasta salad flavors with the most delectable bruschetta twist.
Bruschetta Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
I’m so excited about this recipe I can hardly contain myself. Bruschetta and Pasta Salad? Together!? YES! Talk about a match made in heaven.
This bruschetta pasta salad is fresh and flavorful and so easy to customize if you’d like to sneak some extra vegetables into the mix.
salad serving suggestions
For a T-Rex twist, feel free to serve alongside grilled, roasted, or rotisserie chicken or add it straight to the bowl! You may need a little extra dressing so feel free to double the recipe.
Keep things gloriously vegetarian by pairing this bruschetta spiked pasta salad with a tasty Veggie Burger or serving it up as a side dish for pizza night.
My Three Cheese Pesto Spinach Flatbread Pizza and Balsamic Veggie Pizza are always a great option!
Feel free to use your favorite pasta for this pasta salad! I chose a delicious duo of four-cheese tortellini and farfalle pasta. Elbow noodles, rotini, and orzo would all work great as well.
While the tortellini is optional, it totally adds another layer of flavor that I can’t get enough of! For me it’s a must!
This quick and easy recipe yields 4-6 servings and is easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd at your next party or potluck!
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups bowtie pasta
- 1-2 cups fresh cheese tortellini
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1/4-1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 TBSP balsamic glaze
- optional fresh greens: spinach and arugula
- fresh chopped basil, to taste
- extra olive oil for drizzling, to taste
EASY ITALIAN DRESSING
- 1/4 cup quality olive oil
- 3-4 TBSP white wine vinegar
- 1 TBSP Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning (salt-free)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- First, make the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients and whisk (or pop it in a mason jar and shake) until well combined. Ingredients will separate naturally, simply whisk/shake again before pouring and you're good to go!
- Bring a medium-large pot to boil over high heat and cook dried pasta per package instructions. With 3-4 minutes of cook time remaining, add tortellini. When both pastas are tender and cooked through, remove from heat and drain. Rinse with cold water to halt cooking and set side.
- Chop tomatoes and basil and add to pasta. Pour over dressing and mix well.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle or two of sweet balsamic glaze. Add any desired extras and dive in! This salad can be enjoyed at room temperature or chilled – it's up to you!
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS
- If making this salad in advance, add half the dressing right away and reserve the remainder for before serving. The pasta will soak up the dressing in the fridge (hello flavor!) and need to be dressed with the other half of the dressing before serving. I also like to add an additional drizzle of olive oil over mine before serving. SO GOOD!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this Bruschetta Pasta Salad, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
more tasty tomato bruschetta recipes
Let quinoa in on the fun with this basil-topped Bruschetta Quinoa Salad bowl.
Put a spin on this dish by swapping regular bruschetta for my Greek-inspired Mediterranean Bruschetta featuring plum tomatoes, feta, and cucumber.
Karina’s Italian Herb Bruschetta Chicken looks downright delicious!
Need a speedy party appetizer? Whip up a tray of this crowd-pleasing Mellow Mushroom Copycat Bruschetta — we’re totally crazy for it!
Pretty good, I found the dressing could have used a little something extra to really pull it all together. I did like the mix of the farfalle and tortellini, it added a little something different. I’ll probably make again but jazz up the dressing a bit.
So glad you enjoyed it! Lemon juice and/or a little balsamic vinegar are my favorite extras when I want to jazz up my base dressing recipe – they add that little something extra.
I’m always on the hunt for the perfect cold pasta salad and I believe this is it!!
Yay!!! So glad you’re loving it!
Looks fresh and light, I love it!
Thanks Tanya!