Mediterranean pasta salad. The Mediterranean pasta salad is a delicious summer first course, which is part of our collection dedicated to quick summer pastas, but also a main dish perfect to prepare on the hottest, most sultry days, when the desire to stay in the kitchen is almost nil and you only crave light, quick, easy, fresh and delicious foods. The Mediterranean cold pasta, rich in mozzarella, tuna, cherry tomatoes, olives, sliced almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh basil just picked, contains all the aromas and flavors of our land and will win you over at the first bite. This colorful dish of orecchiette, which you can cook in the morning, will surprise you with its intense flavor and its typically Mediterranean, summery aroma and you can find it in our collection “Cold pasta: 10 quick recipes“! A quick and very easy cold pasta, ideal to enjoy at the beach, at the office, after a day out or at an informal dinner with friends or family, a versatile dish that can become the celebrated star of many occasions. But let’s go to the kitchen now — our Mediterranean pasta recipe is waiting for us, so let’s discover how to make it! Before rushing to the stove, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all the new recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Stove
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make Mediterranean pasta

2 1/2 cups pasta (short shapes: orecchiette, farfalle, trofie, mezze maniche)
1 2/3 cups cherry tomatoes
9 oz cherry mozzarella balls (or buffalo mozzarella)
1 3/4 oz olives (green or black, pitted in brine (about 1/3 cup))
3 1/2 oz tuna in oil (drained)
8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 oz sliced almonds (about 1/3 cup)
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste basil

Tools

Pot
Baking dish

How to make Mediterranean cold pasta

Drop the pasta into lightly salted boiling water, cook it and drain it al dente. Transfer it to a baking dish, add a drizzle of olive oil and let it cool. If you don’t mind, you can also rinse it under cold water, drain it well and place it in a baking dish with a drizzle of oil; this will save time but will slightly reduce the pasta’s flavor.
Slice the olives into rounds, cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces, cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges and halve the mozzarella balls or cut the mozzarella into pieces.
Dress the pasta with the cherry tomatoes, tuna, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella, and mix well.
Finish with a handful of fresh basil and a sprinkle of sliced almonds that you have previously toasted in a pan until they take on a little color.
I recommend consuming the Mediterranean pasta salad immediately. If you need to prepare it a few hours in advance, store it in the fridge and consume it the same day.