Summer Tomato Pasta Salad
This delicious and easy-to-make tomato pasta salad is a tangy, bright, and juicy tomato salad meets pasta love affair. Whip it up for a cheeky BBQ side dish or make it the main event. Leftovers make for a perfect lunch for the kiddos and adults alike – flavours continue developing overnight. Make sure your olive oil is good and your tomatoes are ripe. Choose your own adventure with the addition of cheese. In our opinion, anchovies add that ‘certain something’ but if they aren’t your jam simply omit and the flavours will still pop.
Time: 20 minutes prep, 2-3hrs marinating and chilling
Yields: 8+ side servings
Ingredients
- 400g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup capers
- ¼ cup kalamata olives, (or olives of choice) pits removed and roughly chopped
- 4 anchovies, minced (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ¼ tsp freshly grounded black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup fresh basil plus 1 sprig
- ¾ cup bocconcini (cut in half or quartered, if using mini keep them whole)
- ¼ cup pickled shallots (optional - see notes)
- 500g fusilli pasta
Method
- Toss together the tomatoes, capers, olives, garlic, anchovies, salt, pepper and sprig of basil. Stir in the olive oil, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed (the mixture should be heavily seasoned). Let the mixture marinate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Add the pasta to heavily salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the tomato mixture. Toss well and let the pasta cool. This is where the magic happens with the pasta soaking up the dressing. Let the pasta cool and fold in the cheese. Serve at room temperature.
- If refrigerating overnight, bring to room temperature. To serve, tear the fresh basil leaves and gently fold into the pasta. Drizzle more olive oil and a grind of salt and black pepper.
Notes
We love adding pickled shallots for another layer of crunch and zing. You can make a quick pickled shallot by simply soaking a thinly sliced shallot in a small bowl of freshly squeezed lime juice for 30 minutes (juice should cover the shallot). Store any leftovers in an airtight jar up 1-2 weeks in the refridgerator to add to salads, soups, tacos, sandwiches.
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