Tomato Basil Rotini Pasta Salad
Add this Tomato Basil Rotini Pasta Salad to your next BBQ and add lots of flavor with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and freshly shredded Parmesan. This is not your average pasta salad recipe by any means!
Servings: 8
Calories: 250kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Rotini pasta
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 10 oz. sliced cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup thinly chopped red onion
- 3 T balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ - ½ c olive oil
- ½ c grated parmesan romano and/or asiago cheese (optional)
- ⅔ c mozzarella pearls
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Prep and cut all of the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper.
- When pasta is cooked al dente, drain. Add spinach immediately and stir. This will allow the spinach to wilt a bit from the heat of the pasta. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add tomatoes, basil and onion and toss to combine.
- Pour the dressing in and stir to coat evenly.
- Finally, add the cheeses and toss to combine.
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to one hour before serving.
Notes
- You can make this tomato basil pasta salad the day before you intend to serve it. You can easily make this salad up to one day ahead of time. This allows all the flavors to really meld together. Allow it to sit out for about 15 minutes before serving and toss it in some extra olive oil.
- Be sure to cook your pasta al dente. Rinse pasta in cold water immediately after cooking to stop the pasta from continuing to cook. If you overcook your pasta it can get mushy in the salad and then fall apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1105IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg