Technique
Olive Bar Pasta Salad
The beauty of this pasta salad is its flexibility.
Ingredients · Servings 4–6
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- ½ cup finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus ¼ cup marinating oil
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt, plus more
- 1 lb. short pasta (such as radiatore, cavatappi, or rigatoni)
- 8 oz. small mozzarella balls, halved, or fresh mozzarella, torn into 1" pieces
- 4 cups coarsely chopped mixed olive bar antipasti (such as roasted red peppers, marinated grilled artichokes, mixed pitted olives, marinated white beans or chickpeas, and/or marinated mushrooms)
- Extra-virgin olive oil and basil leaves (for serving)
Method · 30 minutes (plus chilling)
- Mix 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, ½ cup finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ cup sun-dried tomato marinating oil, ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (if using), ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt in a large bowl to combine.
- Cook 1 lb. short pasta (such as radiatore, cavatappi, or rigatoni) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, and rinse. Transfer warm pasta and reserved pasta cooking liquid to bowl with sun-dried tomato mixture.
- Add 8 oz. small mozzarella balls, halved, or fresh mozzarella, torn into 1" pieces, and 4 cups coarsely chopped mixed olive bar antipasti (such as roasted red peppers, marinated grilled artichokes, mixed pitted olives, marinated white beans or chickpeas, and/or marinated mushrooms) and gently toss to combine. Cover pasta salad and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
- Just before serving, taste pasta salad and season with more salt and black pepper if needed. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and top with basil leaves.
Head over to the supermarket’s olive bar (or the jarred condiments aisle) and load up your cart with whatever looks good: roasted red peppers, grilled artichokes, herb-infused olives, marinated beans or mushrooms—try to use at least three options for the most exciting pasta salad. Tossed together with a garlicky sun-dried-tomato base, all that’s missing is some mozzarella and a few handfuls of basil. Serve this one solo, maybe with some arugula, and call it dinner; or bring it as a side to a picnic or barbecue—the longer it sits, the better it tastes.
If you can find roasted garlic or garlic confit, use 4 cloves instead of 2 fresh, smashed into a paste with the flat side of a knife.
