Tomato Basil Rotini Pasta Salad

Pasta salad made with grape tomatoes, spinach, basil, mozzarella and other ingredients in serving bowl.

5 from 8 votes

Tomato Basil Rotini Pasta Salad

Add this Tomato Basil Pasta Salad to your next BBQ and add lots of flavor with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and freshly shredded Parmesan. Super simple prep, easy to make ahead and packed with all the good stuff! This is not your average pasta salad recipe by any means!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

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 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
½ tsp cracked pepper
½ tsp 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.

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