BRUSCHETTA PASTA SALAD

Couple of weeks ago, we threw a 30th birthday party for our family member. The social distancing measures loosened up in Germany so we invited some of his closest friends to celebrate! To this party, I made this bruschetta pasta salad dish out of the whim and I received so many compliments! Hence, I had to share this recipe with you so you can also bring it to your next gathering that you are invited to!

Pasta salads are usually a go-to dish to bring to any parties, gatherings, and pot-lucks because it’s convenient, easy to make in large quantities, and don’t have to worry about serving it warm. I ate many kilograms of pasta salads in my lifetime and nothing really stuck out to me. So, I wanted to amp it up a little by adding some Italian Mediterranean flair to the dish. It has the tangy flavours of the Italian bruschetta with the tomatoes, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. With a bit of a twist using sun-dried tomatoes, it makes the flavour more fuller. The pasta I used is orecchiette which look like tiny bowls so it’s perfect for pasta salads as it collects all the herbs, vinaigrette and dressing in the centre so every bite is juicy and packed with flavour!

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes that I have ever tried and I highly recommend you to also try it!

I hope you enjoy.

-Ari Yori

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BRUSCHETTA PASTA SALAD RECIPE

prep time: 20-25 minutes

portion: 3 servings as a main, 5 servings as a side dish

INGREDIENTS

3 cups (300g) orecchiette pasta, dry uncooked  

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

15-20 cherry tomatoes, sliced half 

handful of fresh parsley, chopped finely

large handful of fresh basil, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 small red onion, diced

7 pcs sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, finely chopped

3-4 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2-3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic cream

1-2 tsp honey

1 tsp dried oregano

salt & pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil a pot of water with generous amount of salt and cook the orecchiette as per package directions. Cook to al dente which should take approximately 9 minutes. Once it cooks, drain the water out and drizzle couple of tablespoons of olive oil onto the pasta. Gently toss the pasta so the olive oil is evenly combined and it does not stick together. Set it aside and let it cool.

2. In a large salad bowl, combine sliced tomatoes, chopped parsley and basil, garlic, red onion, and sun-dried tomatoes. When the pasta has cooled down, add the pasta into the bowl.

3. In to the bowl of pasta, add the oil from sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic cream, honey, and dried oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss it all together.

4. Give it taste and you can adjust everything to your taste: If you feel like you want more sweetness then drizzle more honey. If you want to amp up the tang and sour flavour, add more white wine vinegar. If you want more depth and fullness, add more sun-dried and a bit of balsamic cream.

5. Once you have achieved your desired taste, let the pasta salad sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

PRO TIPS

• Make sure you do not overcook your pasta. You want to them to be al dente so they have some bite to them and not soggy.

• When you are adding more vinegar to your salad, adjust the taste with white wine vinegar not with balsamic vinegar. This is because your salad will turn dark in colour and the flavour will be more milder and gentle.