Bruschetta summer pasta salad
Recipe video above. This is everything you want when it's too hot to cook! Quick, nearly no cook (just boil pasta) and full of bright, fresh, bruschetta-inspired tomato flavours.Workflow - Get the water boiling. While pasta is cooking, make dressing and chop tomatoes.
Servings: 6 as a meal, 10 as a side
Calories: 580cal
Ingredients
- 500g/1 lb penne , ziti or other short pasta
- 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , for cooking pasta
Bruschetta
- 1 kg / 2 lb tomatoes , chopped into 1.25cm / 1/2” pieces, keep all juices (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
- 3/4 cup tightly packed basil leaves , finely sliced (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (tightly packed) finely shredded parmesan
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (good time to break out the good stuff)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press or very finely minced using knife
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Optional extra finishes (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup pinenuts , toasted
- Balsamic glaze , for drizzling (Note 6)
Instructions
Short directions
- Cook pasta in salted water until extra soft, toss with 2/3 Dressing, cool. Toss tomato with remaining Dressing, leave 10 min. Pour off juices into pasta, toss. Add 1/2 tsp salt into tomato, toss. Add into pasta with basil, parmesan. Finish with balsamic glaze and pine nuts. Enjoy!
Full directions
- Dressing - Shake the ingredients in a jar (or whisk in a jug).
- Soft cooked pasta - Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook the pasta per the packet time plus 2 minutes, until the pasta is overcooked and soft. (Note 5) Drain in a colander, then return the pasta into the same pot.
- Flavour the pasta - Give the dressing a good shake then pour 2/3 of it over the pasta. Stir (enjoy the smell!). Set aside to cool for 15 minutes and let the pasta absorb the dressing flavour.
- Bruschetta - Put chopped tomato and all watery juices into a bowl. Pour over remaining Dressing, gently toss. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the pasta is cool to let the flavours meld.
- Finishing (the order matters!) - Pour the juices accumulated in the tomato bowl into the pasta then toss to disperse. Add the salt into the tomato, gently toss, then add the tomato into the pasta. Add the basil, parmesan, gently toss.
- Serve - Pour into a big bowl and serve! If using extra finishes, drizzle with a swish of balsamic glaze (not too much, it's strong!) and sprinkle with pine nuts. Eat!
Notes
1. Basil - If you don’t have it / expensive / out of season, add 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other dried herbs of choice into the dressing instead, or use other fresh herbs eg parsley, dill, oregano - tomatoes are friends with other herbs other than basil, you know! :)
2. Tomatoes - Any type, any colour, sweet, juicy and ripe are of course best. If yours are not but you’re committed to making this, roast to coax out sweetness. See FAQ above for directions.
3. Salt - If you don't have cooking salt / kosher salt, halve for table salt, increase 25% for salt flakes.
4. Optional extras to elevate, but this pasta salad is flavourful without so don’t feel obliged! Use for serving bowl if part of a buffet, or individual bowls if serving yourself at home (better distribution per person).
5. Extra soft pasta - Pasta firms up when cold so when it’s extra soft hot = perfect texture cold in pasta salads. Nobody wants rock hard pasta in their cold pasta salads! :)
6. Homemade balsamic glaze is easy! 1 cup balsamic vinegar plus 1 tbsp brown sugar in a saucepan, bring to simmer over medium high then reduce to medium low and simmer until it reduces to a thin syrup (it should coat a spoon). Don't make it too thick because it thickens quite a lot when it cools! Use cool. Will keep for weeks in the fridge.
Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge though the tomato is a bit softer than ideal. Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 580cal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1410mg | Potassium: 640mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1456IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 2mg