Zesty Italian Pasta Salad

Italian Summer Pasta Salad with wine and ingredients

5 from 6 votes

Zesty Italian Pasta Salad is a hearty vegetarian side that's loaded with Mediterranean ingredients, including olives and sun-dried tomatoes. This pasta salad takes less than 45 minutes to make and is perfect for a picnic, potluck, or lunch.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer, Sides

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 294kcal

Author: Kathleen Higashiyama

Ingredients

1 lb fusilli pasta
1 cup marinated baby artichokes sliced into ¼-inch pieces (we love the Trader Joe's marinated artichokes in a jar) with 3-4 tablespoons of the marinate juice
½ cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes chopped with 3-4 tablespoons of the marinate juice
½ cup pitted kalamata olives halved
½ cup crumbled feta
¼ cup red onion minced
¼ cup basil cut into ribbons, plus more for garnish
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt
fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Cook the pasta - First, cook fusilli pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, strain, and set aside to cool.
Mix the Ingredients - While the pasta noodles cook, mix the ingredients. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the artichokes in its juices, sun-dried tomatoes in its juices, kalamata olives, onions, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir until well mixed.
Fluff the Pasta - Lightly fluff the pasta until cooled and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Mix the Final Product - Gently stir in the olive oil and ingredients mixture. Then, fold in the feta and basil. Stir all of the ingredients until well mixed, but not mushy. Let the pasta chill in the fridge for at least an hour, then transfer to a serving bowl.

Notes

Italian Summer Pasta Salad can be made the night before. Store the pasta salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also store the pasta salad in smaller containers for meal prep.

Nutrition