Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Pasta Salad with Mozzarella and Arugula

overhead view of sun-dried tomato and olive pasta salad in a large yellow bowl placed on a dark wooden table

Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Pasta Salad with Mozzarella and Arugula

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Cooling Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 526kcal

Author: Doina Johnson

Ingredients

1 lb farfalle pasta bow-tie pasta
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained of oil
1/3 cup oil either from the sun-dried tomatoes if packed in oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pitted olives high-quality black olives or Kalamata
16 oz mozzarella you can use bocconcini/small mozzarella balls cut in half or large mozzarella balls chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp lemon juice
zest from one lemon
5 oz arugula rocket
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
pinch salt to taste
pinch black pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the sun-dried tomato and olive mixture. To a food processor or small blender, add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives (pitted!), lemon juice, lemon zest, and oil. Use the chop or pulse function until the ingredients are well-combined and form a paste.
Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook for the time indicated on the package, plus 1 minute to make the pasta softer. When cold, pasta is a bit more chewy/tougher, so boiling it a bit longer makes it softer when served cold in pasta salads. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
Toss the pasta with half the olive-tomato mixture and reserved pasta water. After draining the pasta, immediately toss it with half of the sun-dried tomato and olive mixture and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Set it aside to cool down.
Combine all the ingredients. After the pasta has cooled, add the mozzarella, arugula, chopped basil, and remaining sun-dried tomato mixture. Toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your preference. You can also add more lemon juice to taste.

Notes

Arugula & Making the Pasta Salad Ahead of Time: Keep in mind that arugula wilts very quickly, so if you're making this pasta salad ahead of time, only add the arugula just before serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is calculated automatically and is an estimate only. See the full nutrition disclosure below.