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penne pasta topped with bruschetta ingredients before tossing to make pasta salad with additional recipe ingredients surrounding bowl on white background.
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5 from 27 votes

Bruschetta Pasta Salad

Bruschetta topping, or what I like to call Italian Pico De Gallo, mixed into al dente penne makes for an exceptional pasta salad. This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is an exceptional dish full of fresh summer flavors and takes advantage of seasonal produce like cherry tomatoes and basil best straight from the garden.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

  • Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Sauce pot
  • strainer
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Wooden mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 16 oz penne pasta
  • 1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis 10 oz
  • 6 stalks fresh basil
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ⅓ cup chopped red onion
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • ½ cup olive oil divided
  • ⅔ cup shaved parmesan
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Heat a sauce pan with water to medium-high heat. Cook the noodles according to box instructions.
  • While the noodles cook, make the bruschetta. Dice the cherry tomatoes and red onion finely. Julianne the basil into small strips. Drain the canned tomatoes from the juice.
  • Pour ¼ cup olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Add minced garlic, canned and fresh tomatoes, and dried basil into the bowl. Stir.
  • Once the noodles are cooked, drained and cooled, add them to the bruschetta mixture.
  • Add the additional olive oil, onions, shaved parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.
  • Toss together and serve cold!

Notes

This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is fabulous for meal prep. The longer it sits the more the flavors marinate. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You may need to add more olive oil as the noodles will soak up the noodles the longer it sits.
Pasta SALAD is meant to be served cold. With the fresh tomatoes and fresh basil in this salad, serving warms means wilted produce. I recommend rinsing the noodles to cool them down after cooking before adding them to the bruschetta mixture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 455mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g