A colorful pasta salad loaded with marinated fresh mozzarella, olives, grape tomatoes, and goat cheese all tossed in a flavor-packed sun-dried tomato dressing. This is one delicious side dish!
This post was sponsored by Mezzetta but the opinions and content are my own.
It’s funny how the weather has a direct connection to my belly. I’ve been so affected by the summer-like temps around these parts that I’ve been whipping all kinds of warm weather fare, including this amazingly easy and amazingly delicious pasta salad.
The hardest part of putting this salad together is waiting for the pasta to boil. Once that’s done, it literally takes just minutes to toss together. The secret is in the dressing.
I discovered that these jars of Mezzetta Everything Spread® just so happen to make an incredibly delicious dressing for pasta salad. They also just so happen to contain the precise amount needed to dress a 1 pound box of cooked pasta. No mixing, no measuring…just spoon the contents of one of these jars over cooked and cooled pasta and you’ve got the basis for a fabulously tasty pasta salad.
I went with the Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil variety for this recipe.
The ingredients are nearly identical to what I’d include if making a sun-dried tomato dressing from scratch – olive oil, sun-ripened dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, sea salt, and pepper. It’s thick, rich, and so tasty.
To complement the sun-dried tomato flavor I added some marinated fresh mozzarella balls, black olives, and grape tomatoes. You could add or substitute any ingredients that suit your fancy. Artichoke hearts, mushrooms, bell peppers – all great choices.
And, because a little more cheese is always a good thing, I added some fresh crumbled goat cheese. I’m telling you, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are a match made in heaven! 
Garnish the salad with some fresh basil and you’re good to go. How gorgeous is this?
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry corkscrew pasta, rotini or fusilli
- 1 6.5 ounce jar Mezzetta Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Everything Spread
- 1 12 ounce container marinated fresh mozzarella balls, drained well
- 1 heaping cup red grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 6 ounce can medium black pitted olives, drained
- 1 4 ounce container crumbled goat cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and then rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Toss cooled pasta with the Mezzetta Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Everything Spread, mixing until completely incorporated.
- Add remaining ingredients through goat cheese; reserving half of the goat cheese for garnish. Toss together and then garnish with remaining goat cheese crumbles and chopped basil.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This is my kind of salad, Val! Looks fantastic and so delicious! Now I’m craving pasta 🙂
I would love to try the Savory Garlic (Garlic & Parmesan).
I would love to try the Olive, Parmesan & Garlic…sounds delicious!
I’d love to try the Olive, Parmesan and garlic.
The tomato and basil sounds delicious. Wish I was brave enough for the Red Hot Chile Pepper!
Tomato Basil. But I.m gonna try ALL FOUR!
OMG! The Red Hot Chili Pepper sounds amazing, but I would love all of the flavors.
I would love to try savory garlic! 😉
The olive parmesan garlic spread has my tummy rumbling just thinking about it! 😀
Olive, parmesan and garlic.
I would love to try the olive parmesan garlic spread! All goodness in one jar!
Sweet tomato basil