I like me a good salad. Especially in summer when it’s warm outside. The time of year when you want to spend as little time as possible in the (warm) kitchen ;) Isn’t it much better to spend the time outside on the terrace or in the garden? You can prepare your dinner outside as well… on a grill, for example. Who would have thought it ;P For this simple Italian Pasta Salad you have to plan a little kitchen time though because – unless you can cook some pasta on your grill. Some of these big boys can do that, right? ;)
Anyway. If you do not have this option you do not have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing this salad here. The pasta is cooked in no time and the rest doesn’t take much longer either tbh. The most time this salad needs to be ready is some resting and marinating time so the pasta can soak up all those flavors from the dressing. That’s it. For that, you do not have to stay next to the salad waiting. You can sit outside and enjoy the first beer or something like that ;P
I used sun-dried tomatoes for the salad instead of fresh tomatoes. Fresh ones are something you would probably expect in an Italian salad… but not here ;P I like the dried ones because they add a lot of flavor to the salad and you can store them for quite a while, unlike fresh tomatoes. You can get sun-dried tomatoes (the ones that are dry but still slightly soft) in a package or you can get them stored in oil – those are super soft and still “juicy”. Both work well here. The dry ones have to be reactivated with some boiling water before using (do not use the soaking water even though it looks like you could use it in a sauce or dressing!) – the oiled ones can be used as they are. The “disadvantage” of the dried and reanimated tomatoes – they have a less vibrant red color compared to the ones stored in oil. Those are more brownish. The flavors are the same but visually the stronger red color is something you might prefer. If that’s the case – use those ;)
Anyway. Besides that – as mentioned before – the salad is really easy to prepare. If you like, you can also use small mozzarella balls here instead of the parmesan cheese. We do that sometimes too and it’s also very delicious. Adds a different texture to the salad. Together with a classic potato salad, this pasta salad is a good base for a nice barbecue with friends or family.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the salad:
2.5 oz. (70g) dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
14 oz. (400g) pasta (e.g. rigatoni)
1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
3.5 oz. (100g) olives
1 tbsp. capers
For the dressing:
2 tsp. mustard
2 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. red balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
salt, pepper
0.7 oz. (20g) pine nuts, roasted
1 oz. (30g) parmesan cheese, grated
Für den Salat:
70g getrocknete Tomaten, grob gehackt
400g Pasta (z.B. Rigatoni)
1 Bund glatte Petersilie
100g Oliven
1 EL Kapern
Für das Dressing:
2 TL Senf (mittelscharf)
2 EL Honig
4 EL Balsamico Essig (rot)
3-4 EL Olivenöl
1 TL frischer Oregano, gehackt
Salz, Pfeffer
20g Pinienkerne, geröstet
30g Parmesan, gehobelt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add some of the boiling water to the tomatoes and let them soak for about 5 minutes, then drain. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package until “al dente”. In my case, that was about 10 minutes. Remove from the stove, rinse with cold water and let drain, then place in a large bowl.
3. For the dressing, mix the mustard and honey in a bowl, then add the vinegar and olive oil and mix well. Add the oregano and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the tomatoes, chopped parsley, olives, capers, and the dressing to the bowl with the pasta and mix well. Let the salad sit for about 30-45 minutes. Before serving, garnish the salad with the toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese.
2. Einen großen Topf mit reichlich Salzwasser zum Kochen bringen – etwas vom kochenden Salzwasser zu den Tomaten dazugeben und diese etwa 5 Minuten ziehen lassen. Die Nudeln ins kochende Wasser geben und nach Packungsanleitung “al dente” kochen – in meinem Fall waren das etwa 10 Minuten. Abgießen, mit kaltem Wasser abschrecken und abtropfen lassen, dann in eine große Schüssel geben.
3. Für das Dressing Senf und Honig in einer Schüssel vermengen, dann den Essig und das Olivenöl dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Oregano dazugeben und mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen.
4. Die eingeweichten Tomaten, gehackte Petersilie, Oliven, Kapern und das Dressing zu den Nudeln dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Den Salat für etwa 30-45 Minuten ziehen lassen. Vor dem Servieren den Salat noch mit den gerösteten Pinienkernen und gehobeltem Parmesan dekorieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Simple & Easy Italian Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Italy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you like it simple and easy you will love this salad: an Italian Pasta Salad with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and capers. So good!
Ingredients
(4-5 servings)
For the salad:
2.5 oz. (70g) dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
14 oz. (400g) pasta (e.g. rigatoni)
1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
3.5 oz. (100g) olives
1 tbsp. capers
For the dressing:
2 tsp. mustard
2 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. red balsamic vinegar
3–4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
salt, pepper
0.7 oz. (20g) pine nuts, roasted
1 oz. (30g) parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1. Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add them to a small bowl or cup. Wash and dry the parsley, then chop coarsely. Set aside. Briefly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan, then set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add some of the boiling water to the tomatoes and let them soak for about 5 minutes, then drain. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package until “al dente”. In my case, that was about 10 minutes. Remove from the stove, rinse with cold water and let drain, then place in a large bowl.
3. For the dressing, mix the mustard and honey in a bowl, then add the vinegar and olive oil and mix well. Add the oregano and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the tomatoes, chopped parsley, olives, capers, and the dressing to the bowl with the pasta and mix well. Let the salad sit for about 30-45 minutes. Before serving, garnish the salad with the toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Enjoy tossing!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
