Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15

This Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe is a healthy twist on traditional pasta salad. A perfect option for gatherings or a quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Pasta Salad Ingredients:

8 oz. pasta*
2 cups arugula loosely packed
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
1 cup Kalamata olives
1/2 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1/4 red onion
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup pine nuts

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar, or other sweetener
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Dressing Instructions

Assemble: Peel and mince the garlic. Put all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined.

Pasta Salad Instructions

Cook Pasta: Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside until Step 3.
Slice & Dice Ingredients:The shape and size ingredients are cut into, is entirely personal preference. Below are some options for preparing ingredients that need to be sliced or diced. Generally, I recommend the below ingredients are cut into similar sizes with the exception of the red onion. The red onion should always be thinly sliced.
artichoke hearts - quartered or chopped
Kalamata olives - whole, halved or sliced
fresh basil - thinly sliced (chiffonade)
sun-dried tomatoes - thinly sliced or chopped
cucumber - thinly sliced or cubed
red onion - thinly sliced
Assemble: Put all pasta salad ingredients in a large bowl except the pine nuts. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Top the salad with the pine nuts. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Use whichever pasta you prefer. Campanelle is the pasta seen in the photographs of this post. Other options such as Farfalle (bowtie pasta), Rotini, Penne and Cavatappi work well also!

Nutrition

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know what you think! Rate this recipe and leave a comment below.