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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 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
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

Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 721mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1043IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 353mg | Iron: 3mg

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