Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe With Spinach

Home » Salads and Salad Dressing Recipes » Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe With Spinach
Pasta salad with spinach is a delicious and easy pasta that is perfect for a side dish or complete meal.
pasta sald on a plate with a fork

Sundried tomato pasta salad with spinach features fresh baby spinach, briny olives, and sun-dried tomatoes, all tossed together with a delicious balsamic vinegar dressing. It’s the perfect combination of flavors for any occasion.

spinach pasta salad on a white plate

This sun-dried tomato pasta salad is perfect for a light and quick meal with a side of grilled chicken or seafood, or bring it to your next potluck!

🤍Why you will love this recipe

  • It’s an easy pasta salad recipe made with fresh ingredients.
  • Even though is pasta salad is usually a side dish, this salad is hearty enough to serve as a complete meal.
spinach pasta salad ingredients in a mixing bowl

This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small commission if products are purchased through links at no additional charge to you.

This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe, scroll down to see ingredient notes and substitutions as well as a printable recipe card with exact measurements and complete cooking instructions.

🛒Ingredients

🥄Equipment

How to make sundried tomato pasta salad with spinach

Prepare the ingredients: cook the pasta according to package directions rinse in cold water, drain and chop the spinach, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Combine the dressing ingredients.

The pasta salad ingredients in a mixing bowl: chopped spinach, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and pasta

Step 1. Assemble the salad ingredients

Place the cooked pasta, olives, spinach and sundried tomatoes into a large bowl.

Step 2. Add the dressing

Pour the homemade dressing over the top of the salad.

dressing pouring over the pasta salad

Spinach pasta salad all mixed together in a mixing bowl.

Step 3. Combine all of the ingredients

Mix all of the ingredients together, and serve or chill.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The full list of ingredients to make this pasta salad recipe is above. Below are notes about some of the ingredients along with ideas for substitutes.

Pasta. I use whole wheat fusilli or bow tie pasta when I make this pasta salad, but you can use white pasta as well. Any shape will work too!

Substitute pasta with gluten-free pasta such as chickpea pasta for a gluten-free pasta salad.

Spinach. Fresh baby spinach is the best spinach option for this recipe. It’s tender and there are no tough stalks. If you choose more mature spinach, trim the stalks off of the spinach.

Sun-dried tomatoes. Both dry-packed or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes will work. If you use oil-packed drain and rinse the jar of sun-dried tomatoes before adding them to the salad.

Olives. If you don’t care for kalamata olives, they can be replaced with black olives or they can be left out.

Vinegar. Balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness to the pasta salad dressing and can be swapped with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar.

spinach Pasta salad in a bowl with a spoon on the side

Make-Ahead Instructions

This is a fantastic recipe that can be prepared in advance. Here’s how:

Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, mix the dressing ingredients, chop the spinach and sundried tomatoes and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Five to ten minutes before serving your pasta salad, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and pour on the dressing.

Serving Suggestions

Sun-dried tomato pasta salad tastes great with burgers like this caramelized onion burger or turkey burger.

This Italian pasta salad is not only delicious but also a hearty and easy vegetarian dinner option. Try adding 1/2 cup of garbanzo beans for an extra protein boost.

Storing and Using Leftovers

This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day, so keep your leftover spinach sundried tomato pasta salad for up to four days in the refrigerator.

Serve leftover salad. If the salad is dry, stir in a small amount of dressing or a little bit of olive oil to add moisture.

spinach pasta salad on a white plate with a fork

Recipe Variations

Add cheese. Stir in 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella balls, crumbled feta cheese or shredded parmesan cheese.

Zesty pasta salad. Use an equal amount of arugula instead of baby spinach or use half spinach and half arugula.

Add Meat. Toss in 1/4 pound of shredded chicken or prosciutto to the salad.

Herbs. Add 1/4 cup of chopped herbs such as fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley, or oregano to the salad.

Artichokes and Onions. Add 1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion, and1/2 cup of chopped artichoke hearts.

Nuts – Add a little texture and protein with a few tablespoons of pine nuts or chopped pistachios.

💡Tips

  • To avoid a soggy pasta salad, don’t overcook the pasta!
  • If you don’t plan to serve the salad immediately, reserve half of the dressing and pour it over the salad just before serving.
  • To prevent the vegetables from wilting, be sure the pasta is chilled or at least cooled to room temperature before adding the vegetables. I find that cold pasta works the best
Can I use frozen spinach in this recipe?

It is not recommended to use frozen spinach in this spinach pasta salad. Frozen spinach contains too much moisture and is much stronger in flavor than raw spinach.

What is the best pasta shape to use to make pasta salad?

The best pasta types to use is short pasta such as fusilli, penne or bow-tie pasta with nooks and crannies to hold onto the dressing

Do you have to soak the sundried tomatoes to make this pasta salad?

No, you don’t need to soak the sundried tomatoes. The moisture from the dressing will help to soften the sundried tomatoes.

Are you too tired to cook dinner?

If you’re feeling uninspired when it’s time to cook dinner, this free guide will help you make a quick and healthy dinner with ingredients you have in your kitchen.

You Might Also Like these Pasta Recipes

pasta sald on a plate with a fork

Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Pasta salad with spinach is a delicious and easy pasta that is perfect for a side dish or complete meal.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Click on serving size to scale this recipe

Course: Side Dish Recipes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Sundried tomato pasta salad
Servings: 6
Calories: 273kcal
Author: Anne
Scale this Recipe 6

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat pasta – rotini spirals, bow tie or penne work best
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes dry packed or oil packed – julienne sliced
  • 3 to 4 cups raw spinach chopped
  • 3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • DRESSING
  • 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large clove garlic minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

  • Cook 8 ounces of pasta according to the package directions, drain and rinse in cold water and place it into a mixing bowl.
  • While the pasta is cooking, mix up the dressing and roughly chop the spinach and olives.
  • Set the cooked pasta aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.
  • Add sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and olives.

Video

Notes

Substitutions:
Substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free version.
Swap out kalamata olives for black olives.
Use your favorite vinegarette dressing
Variations:
Add cheese. Stir in 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls or crumbled feta cheese.
Make it zesty. Use arugula in place of spinach.
Add chicken. Add 1/4 to 1/2 pound of shredded chicken to the pasta salad.
Add 1/4 cup of fresh chopped herbs such as basil or oregano to your pasta salad.
NOTE: If you are not serving the salad immediately, pour only 3/4 dressing over the salad and add the remainder just before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1591IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Check out more of our Appetizer and Snack recipes here!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments

  1. What a fresh and inviting looking salad! Love how easy it is to put together too. I’m all about no fuss, but lots of flavor. This seems to have exactly that, lots of flavor and none of the fuss.