Mediterranean pasta salad, a cold first course full of flavors. Preparing a good pasta salad is quite easy and with the summer heat, it is always a welcome dish. The Mediterranean cold pasta is dressed with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, tuna, olives, olive oil, and fresh basil. But like all recipes, it can be personalized according to your tastes, for example, I chose to use black and green olives, but you can use just one type of olives. Furthermore, you can enrich your dish with some desalted capers and/or toasted pine nuts. If you prefer, you can remove the tuna or mozzarella, the result will still be excellent.
As for the pasta shape, it’s important to use short pasta. I chose farfalle, but half penne, wheels, and similar shapes work well too. The pasta should be cooked al dente and ideally, once seasoned, let it rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Other recipes you might like:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients for the Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- 11.3 oz pasta
- 8.8 oz mozzarella
- 8.8 oz cherry tomatoes
- 7.1 oz tuna in oil (drained weight)
- 3.5 oz olives (black or green or mixed)
- to taste basil
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Recommended Tools
- Colander
Preparation of Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Cut the mozzarella into cubes and let it drain in a colander.
Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half or quarters and drain them in a colander.
Cut the olives in half, removing the pit.
Drain the tuna from the preserving oil and flake it with a fork.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Once cooked (al dente), remove it from the stovetop, add a rinse of cold water, drain it, and pour it into a bowl.
Add the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Mix.
Add the tuna, mozzarella, olives, some torn basil leaves, and a drizzle of oil. Mix everything well.
Your Mediterranean pasta salad is ready. To enjoy it at its best, let it rest at room temperature or in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can substitute basil with a parsley chop or with a few pinches of oregano.
You can use pitted olives, cut into slices.
You can add a few pinches of pepper.
If you liked this recipe, you might also be interested in pasta salad with chickpeas and zucchini or pasta salad with potatoes and peas or Greek rice salad.
