For someone who is patently terrified of all the offerings in the deli case pasta salad universe — the tri-colore, mayo-slicked, sugar-sweetened, canned tuna-flecked, curry powder-ed, and dotted with green peppers, raisins or ohgodboth — I sure spend a spectacular amount of each summer trying to come up with cold pasta preparations I’d find agreeable. I know that there’s one out there I could love and could love me back, but although a few attempts have gotten me closer, and even temporarily sated, my perfect picnic pasta salad eluded me.
Late last summer, I began forming an idea of how to make this, a pasta salad that would be loud, punchy and full of texture where others are mellow and limp. My notes are adamant about a well-toasted crunch, such as pine nuts, a good salty crumbled cheese, like ricotta salata or feta, chopped black olives, such as those oil-cured ones I was slowly developing an affection for, and pasta taken off the stove when it’s an aggressive al dente, even two minutes before tender “doneness” instead of one, so that no matter how long it soaks in dressing, it does not collapse. But I got stuck on the last ingredient, because what I really wanted in there was not those “sun-dried” tomatoes you find in dry-packs and jars, but these wondrously slow-baked oven tomatoes, all chewy, tart and intense.
Alas, I knew they’d be a deal-breaker because they take hours to dry out in the oven, and that’s just the tiny ones. Nobody is going to spend hours preparing the single ingredient of a pasta salad. Nobody. I get it. But I did, and I regret nothing. In my defense, I cooked them in less than half the time by bumping up the temperature and keeping them a little juicier than the classic, but not compromising any tomato intensity. A handful of fresh chopped basil and a gentler version of this oregano vinaigrette we fell in love with last year (my husband’s brilliant suggestion for this) make this everything those pasta salads of my nightmares are not — fresh and bright, balanced and light — and the only thing I want to eat on all of the summer days ahead.
One year ago: Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas
Two years ago: Two Classic Sangrias
Three years ago: Tzatziki Potato Salad
Four years ago: Strawberry Summer Cake
Five years ago: Scrambled Egg Toast
Six years ago: Slaw Tartare
Seven years ago: 30 Ways To Be A Good Guest
Eight years ago: Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Cranberry Pie with Thick Pecan Crumble
1.5 Years Ago: Cauliflower with Brown Butter Crumbs
2.5 Years Ago: Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Biscuits
3.5 Years Ago: Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes
As with most pasta salads, the ingredients here are flexible. I’ve outlined what I used, but should you not be into olives, or salty cheese, or pine nuts, no reason not to skip them or swap them with something you like better. Yes, you’ll need 90 minutes for the tomatoes, but I promise, you will not regret the time you waited for them, because this long, low roasting time turns even grocery store grape tomatoes into something intense, tart and magical, and the ones from your garden into their highest calling. You can make them the day before, too, or make double what you need, planning ahead for future pasta salads. They keep well in the fridge up to five days, drizzled with additional olive oil. For the pasta, promise that you’ll only cook it to 1 to 2 minutes before full doneness. Mine had quite an al dente bite, harder than I’d want it in a hot dish when I drained it, but held up beautifully even after it soaked up the dressing for a couple hours. Limp pasta makes me sad.
Serves 8
Roasted tomatoes
4 cups (about 680 grams) grape tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Oregano dressing
1 big clove or 2 small cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano (if you can find it, Sicilian is my favorite)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Assembly
1 pound (455 grams) dried pasta, a bite-sized shape of your choosing (I used reginetti), cooked until 1 to 2 minutes before doneness and drained
6 ounces (170 grams) crumbled salty cheese, such as ricotta salata, feta, queso fresco
1/2 cup (70 grams) pine nuts, well-toasted and cooled
1/2 cup (70 grams) pitted and rough-chopped olives of your choice (I used gaeta here, but like them even more when oil-cured)
Salt and pepper
Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Roast tomatoes: Heat oven to 300°F (150°C). Cover 1 to 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Cut each small tomato in half lengthwise and arrange cut side up in a single layer on prepared sheets. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven for approximately 90 minutes, until somewhat shriveled and dry to the touch, but not fully dehydrated. Set aside until needed, letting them cool. [Note, if you pine nuts are not yet toasted, you can place them in the oven for the last 10 minutes, shaking them once or twice for even coloring. Let cool as well before using.]
Make dressing: Roughly chop the garlic on a cutting board, then add oregano, salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Mince the mixture with your knife until it’s a grainy herb paste. Transfer to a small bowl, whisk in lemon juice and vinegar, then slowly drizzle in oil, whisking the whole time. Taste and adjust as needed; you might need more salt or vinegar. You want a strongly flavored dressing that won’t get lost in that big bowl of ingredients.
Assemble salad: In a giant bowl, place drained pasta, roasted tomatoes, cheese, pine nuts and olives and toss gently to combine. Add dressing to taste, along with any extra salt and pepper needed. Finish with basil. Salad can be eaten right away, but will keep in the fridge up to 3 days. This is also perfect for picnics and potlucks, as it can handle being out in the sun without going south.
Ah, I was just thinking about this last night. You beat me to a brilliant, bloggable pasta salad! Now I know what I’m doing with my leftover grape ‘maters and beautifully growing fire escape basil. Yes, please, and thank you.
Ooo, now this looks like a great pasta salad. One question: I’m not a big fan of olives (gosh I’ve tried to be but I’m just not). Would you just leave them out or a suggestion for a substitution? Thanks for all the fab recipes!
Erika — I mentioned in the recipe notes that if you’re not into an ingredient, you can just skip it. For olives, it depends on whether you just don’t like the taste of olives (in which case I might try capers, even salt-packed and rinsed, but then only a couple tablespoons) or you just don’t like briny/salty ingredients, in which case, skip it all together.
So I’m also pregnant and due next week (!) and this looks like a perfect thing to make ahead for when we come home with the wee one. Mayo-based deli case pasta salads freak me out to no end.
just sent this recipe to the husband so he can make it for me for dinner. thanks!
My husband is part Hawaiian, therefore a love for the ubiquitous “mac salad” is in his DNA.
I would gladly eat a bowl full of this instead. Slow roasted tomatoes are one of the best things on earth.
You always seem to know just what I need. You’re a goddamn mind reader!
Really? We need cursing to add to a lovely discussion?
Policing the way people speak is incredibly rude, Susanne. Nuala wasn’t bothering anyone, and she was expressing an extremely positive feeling about Deb’s work here. If you don’t like a comment, scroll past it.
Yes don’t be so damn judgy😂😂😂😂😂😂
Was looking for a good pasta salad for a large group and headed straight to Smitten Kitchen for inspiration; this recipe was super easy to throw together, even with the tomato roasting. SO worth the time. The dressing is delicious and the salad held up even after couple days in the fridge.
When I saw the image of the sliced tomatoes, I thought “no way am I going to that much trouble.” Then I read your description of how delicious those tomatoes taste, and I instantly changed my mind. You are the best.
Hi Deb can you add weights to the recipe please?
Deb, I’m in a household of tomato (and eggplant) haters. Any suggestions on tomato-alternatives that I can try? The answer may be just make this for myself and don’t share since tomatoes seem so clutch to this recipe. :) Thanks!
This looks awesome and has tons of potential as a base recipe for adding/substituting ingredients as well. I always get confused about subbing in fresh herbs for dried. Can you please make a measurement recommendation if one wanted to use fresh oregano (which my garden is loaded with right now) in the dressing instead of dried? Thanks!
That salad looks so good. I have to give this recipe a try.
Do you think sunflower seeds would sub well for pine nuts? I’d hate to just drop a crunch component but we are but free die to allergy
I love pasta salads that aren’t mayo-based. This looks delicious. The tomatoes remind me of Nigella Lawson’s moonblush tomatoes – which are handily done overnight in a hot oven that you turn off before going to bed. I should test both recipes. http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/moonblush-tomatoes-58
Aa tip I learned to make the tomatoes easier is that you sandwich as many as fit between 2 deli container lids (or even small shallow plates) and then hold the top down and run a knife between, parallel to the counter. Slices them all at once.
There’s also a Nigella recipe that makes these tomatoes overnight, I think by blasting them for a short time then shutting the oven off and letting them coast.
Looks so good and probably tastes it too . I will be making this for dinner today! Though I’m not really keen or roasted tomatoes. Would normal tomatoes do just as fine ? x
This sounds ideal. I’m going to do it with farro instead since I’m trying not to wolf down as much pasta these days. Yum!
Yeah, Yeah……..nice salad – but seriously – GO JACOB!!!!!! What a great accomplishment.
Looks delicious! I still have some oven dried tomatoes in my freezer left from last summer’s garden bounty, too, so this is perfect!
I find that those oven roasted tomatoes freeze very well–that’s how I preserved a good amount of mine last summer. After I take them out of the oven, I just stick the baking sheet in the freezer for awhile, then when the tomatoes are frozen, scoop them into a freezer bag so I can use them as needed. They thaw very quickly after you take them out of the freezer.
Brilliant! Patiently waiting on 4 grape/cherry tomato vines to produce, and was wondering what I will do with crop!
Awwww!! With the tongue out, that’s just the cutest video – Good for him!
On olives – If the taste is just too strong, we found this kind to be more mild in flavor – http://www.olives.com/pearls/?openWide=/pearls/lightbox/products/fresh-cured-green-ripe-pitted.php
“fresh cured” green olives, that are just unripe, not the green type for the martini
A few weeks ago I got desperately sad that the store tomatoes were watery and tasteless for sandwiches, so I decided to try slicing and roasting them. They were spectacular, especially drizzled with a fresh herb and garlic pistou and topped with feta. And now you have translated that to pasta and I am thrilled to try it. Thanks!
This doesn’t just look delicious, it is really pretty as well! I love olives but my husband doesn’t so I am thinking that maybe marinated artichokes would make a nice substitution.
I just made your slow-roasted tomatoes recipe last night so I think it’s fate that I must try to make this pasta salad tonight!
The vinaigrette calls for dried oregano but could one substitute fresh? If so, how much do you recommend? I know that fresh can be very pungent. Thanks, can’t wait to try this recipe at the beach!
Martha Rose in the Times did slow-roasted tomatoes a few years ago, but she put them on baking racks, which were awful to clean up after–parchment is a great idea! I always make several batches at the height of summer and freeze them for mid-winter pasta sauce. Entirely worth the effort.
I never put my finger on why I didn’t like pasta salad, but this nails it!
Can’t wait to try this rendition!
(I will likely sub barley for the pasta and add spinach, if I’m feeling virtuous- or find the most fun shaped pasta possible, which your’s seems to be! I am continually in awe of all the shapes of pasta- it reminds me that one humble starting point (the same dough!) can be used diversely, without a hint of boring or repetitive. Just recast it in a new shape!)
Perhaps the very, very best part? This method of cooking tomatoes makes crappy tomatoes taste like summer tomatoes, and summer tomatoes like heaven. Win, win! (Almost typed “wine, wine!” and I stand by that.)
Weights — Now added.
Judy — Great idea.
Erin, beh, re: fresh oregano — I’d start with 1 teaspoon fresh leaves; usually 1/4 to 1/3 is a good place to start. Here, I call for dry because there’s a very specific flavor that comes with it, that’s reminiscent (a good memory, for me at least) of those Good Seasons Italian dressing packets. But I understand the desire to use fresh oregano if your plants are, say, bigger than the microgreen stage mine are at right now.
Mina — To use fresh tomatoes, I’d salt them a little and let them drain. The moisture won’t be great in the salad.
Gia — I like the marinated artichoke suggestion above. Different flavor, not as sweet, but would still work well in a pasta salad. If you want something more fresh, I always like pasta salads with segments of firm-cooked green beans in them.
Andrea — Pine nuts are actually a seed, but with all processed products, the risk is cross-contamination. Regardless, I love toasted salted sunflower seeds in salads, and think they’d be good here.
Katelyn — A little different from this, but if you like farro and tomatoes, you might like this. And I totally forgot about this couscous salad with roasted tomatoes from the very early days of this site that might be a good starting point, too.
Re, Jacob — I can’t help it. I am BEAMING with pride. #suchamom
This looks absolutely delicious… the tomatoes with a crumbly cheese looks perfect for summer!
Sarah
Found my new potluck dish….couldn’t agree more about the deli case!
“loud, punchy and full of texture”
I am so NOT a pasta salad person, but you make me want to be one ;) That oregano dressing sounds perfect!
AND I have a potluck to attend tonight. This might be just the thing.
deb – thank you! ha i should have read more closely to see that someone had already asked the question.
This looks amazing! I’m in love with all things pasta salad (yes, even store bought, what?) I will be making this for a cookout soon (and then probably again and again)!! I recently made an oregano dressing that was used on some chicken.. oregano, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, garlic, oh god, it was amazing. It was from cook’s country.
Could you throw greens (spinach, baby kale, etc) in the salad?
Hi! Any idea if you can get a similar result with tomatoes on a grill? If so, how?
I always get sucked into the deli counter’s pasta salad offerings, only to find that they never ever taste as good as they look. (They’re just never good, period.) And they’re always so expensive. Clearly, this is the way forward :D
Sidenote: I just moved to a new apartment with a lovely, bright, little kitchen after dealing with a dark, claustrophobia-enduing kitchen for three years. I’m so excited to try so many of these recipes now!
Babywatch, 2015. :-D
Anna — Definitely, but I would do it at the end, and not let them sit in the dressing too long. Well, maybe sturdy kale would be good wilted, but most salad greens are not.
Audrey — I don’t see why not, but you’d want to keep the heat low, and give it a lot of time. Could get delicious flavor, too.
Oregano dressing — Btw, I should have clarified this better because I could imagine the idea of an oregano dressing sounding strange or too unusual, but what it actually tastes like is an “Italian” bottled dressing but 1000x better. So, it’s basically perfect here. (Not to oversell or anything, heh.)
Slow-roasted tomatoes – dealbreaker? Are you kidding? I force my family to eat them with practically everything throughout the summer and always throw a tray into oven when its on to cook something else to have some of these flavour bombs on stand-by. Can’t wait for the next lot and surely will make this intriguing oregano dressing, thanks Alex.
Nicole
You can make roasted tomatoes overnight in the oven and then you don’t have to wait. Just prep the night before with olive oil, balsamic, garlic, sugar, salt and oregano, place on a baking sheet, heat over to 400, put the tomatoes in and turn off the over. In the morning, perfect roasted tomatoes. Every time.
Okay, so this is a bit off topic, but I like the grocery-store tabbouleh/ready-made salads (yes, the stuff with a list of ingredients I am unable to prononce) better than what I make myself………and actually it’s cheaper……
(*shudder* translation: fake lemon juice, parts of chicken un-sellable, couscous…recycled from a nearby campus cafeteria?!)
Wonder why that is…(no, seriously)
this, however, just might change my mind…
Looks delicious. I want to say that I roast tomatoes at their peak in the summer and freeze them, just cooled and dumped into a container. The oil makes them just malleable enough that you can slough off a few at a time if you don’t want to defrost the entire batch. I recently made Ottolenghi’s grilled asparagus salad with my 20 year old son who was visiting. Not only did he learn about blanching (asparagus) but he couldn’t get over the tomatoes. When did you have time to roast the tomatoes, what, last summer? Lightly warmed they were a heavenly bit of August In May, and although yes it does feel that way temperature-wise at the moment, the tomatoes are nowhere in sight- yet.
Funny. This is almost exactly my magical picnic pasta salad (down to my favorite type of pasta to make it). I add aragula though. And for the dressing, I use my classic olive oil-balsamic-garlic-maple syrup recipe.
Ok, NOW I’m hungry! I will try this recipe & take it to a “potluck”
60th wedding anniversary! (Yes, you read that right!)Btw, 1st time
commenting, but I’ve long loved your site & have your book.
Dear Deb:Is there a special code for “All Things Jacob?”
I almost missed that sweet video link, until I saw other comments,
& rescrolled to figure out where it was. Love your sharing about your
family! Thanks!! (What a sweet dad your Alex makes.)
Celine is absolutely correct!!! Suddenly all the tomatoes are cut in SECONDS and you feel you have the absolute power to accomplish finicky recipes in no time flat!
There are pictures of this method at this site.
http://www.theyummylife.com/How_To_Cut_Cherry_Tomatoes
This pasta salad looks incredible! You are so right about the deli case – I fear those too because the pasta salads in them are usually just as you described. This looks like it has the perfect balance of sweetness, saltiness, and I love that you cook the pasta just until its almost ready so that it doesn’t get mushy later when it’s tossed with the rest of the ingredients. Beautiful job, Deb!
I actually found oven roasted tomatoes in the fresh deli section at whole foods the other day! There’s hope!
Great looking recipe, thanks!
Could that bike rider be ANY cuter? Perfect timing too, as it is one more “Big Boy” accomplishment for his arsenal. He will NEED this yummy salad- “carb-loading” for marathon bike rides.I guess you and Alex will be toning up also as you try to race after him.Your “baby-weight” will be non-existent! Happy summer to all.
Ah…the problem of tomatoes: they are in the store year-round & they are locally harvested in August & Sept. Does that mean I only eat tomatoes in August/Sept unless they are dried or canned? Or?????
I mean, I appreciate the choices that trucks & airplanes give us. But there’s the lack of ties to season & local + the food just isn’t the same. And the carbon cost.
Le sigh.
1.) I LOVE pasta salad! Even terrible pasta salad.
2.) The sundried tomatoes in the zipper bag at Trader Joe’s are really good. Tender and tangy and cheap!
3.) Yay for your kid! How exciting on his bike! I had to watch it a couple times :)
I slow-roasted all my little tomatoes last summer and am a total convert! I made big batches and stored them in olive oil in a jar and my fridge and they stayed fresh for quite some time. This would be the perfect use for them!
Pine nuts are but a lovely memory for me. Several years ago, both of my regular sources quit carrying them when they went north of $25/lb because “no one buys ’em anymore at these prices.” A couple of weeks ago, I saw them at a local (independent, lovely, organic, so on) store for $69.99/lb. I didn’t know whether to poop or go blind, as they say. Yikes! Are prices different in NYC?
Re: Pine Nuts
Trader Joe is selling 8 oz packages for $7.99.
This looks so tasty – I am going to try it soon!!!! X
I would like to know if slow roasting the tomatoes in a convection oven would cut down on that 90 minutes? I bet it would, and certainly worth a try.
Further, I feel I should mention that local pine nuts are probably the ultra expensive ones and are, unfortunately, the best and safest. There are pine nuts imported from China (much cheaper) that apparently can give one “pine mouth”, a taste disturbance, that I first read about in Cook’s Illustrated. While rare, these pine nuts can cause a metallic taste that lasts from days to weeks. Very strange, I know, but apparently documented. I think I would go with sunflower seeds too. I like this lightened version of pasta salad and if we could just get some really warm weather here in northern CA I will put it on the menu.
you MAY have saved the pasta salad here…i tend to agree with you in disliking the mayonnaisey, limp stuff in the deli case. i can’t wait to try this and see!
I love your pastas! This looks amazing – tomatoes are the best (: I’m definitely bookmarking this for a salad day.
The colors in this salad look like it’d be perfect to serve at Christmas, too! So pretty. Love the biking video!
Hi Deb,
Thanks for this post! I love the picture of the fresh tomatoes in the oven dish, they look like I painting, a nice one. I also love are living in summer :) I still have the spring feeling, but can’t wait for summer to kick in. I was never a fan of pasta salads, but yours looks delicious, you’ve inspired me to give pasta salad a second chance.
Greetings from Madrid!
Anneke
Have you seen this clever idea for slicing a lt of cherry tomatoes all at once?
http://food52.com/blog/4179-a-hack-for-slicing-cherry-tomatoes
What would you suggest to replace the tomatoes? I can’t eat them. :(
I’m sure I heard “That’s my boy!” in the background of the video. Adorable.
I put the dressing on the pasta after it is drained so it absorbs all the flavour, then add the other ingredients when it has cooled.
This is my kind of pasta salad. I don’t know how I missed your previous post about the oregano vinaigrette, it’s one of my favorite things. Can’t wait to try this although not thrilled about turning on the oven in the hot weather.
morning all, pasta salad just “reeks” Spring Time” to me. We had our first batch a couple of nights ago. Most of our herbs are up and the chives are about to bloom (sorry I live in Manitoba – we have a frost warning out for Friday night) and when I walk past the kitchen garden in Spring the FIRST thing I think about is pasta salad. Other ingredients to consider adding in: chick peas (a good sub for olives, perhaps, Erika) shallots or fine diced red onion, fresh thyme, french tarragon, and the ubiquitous aforementioned chives. We also make a new potato salad with almost exactly the same dressing. I find that Deb’s idea for capers fits very well with either.
I am soooo happy you were able to come up with this! This is definitely my kind of salad!!
My go-to pasta salad, which is very similar in flavor to this, is the Epicurious recipe for “orzo with everything.” http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/orzo-with-everything-5608
I basically follow the recipe, minus the parmesan, which I don’t think is necessary which goes to show you that this thing is full of flavor (added bonus that it’s vegan, if you have friends of that persuasion). And I use the Trader Joe’s slivered sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, so I reduce the oil called for in the recipe.
Not recipe-related, but in the video link, are you in NYC? I swear I hear someone telling their kid it’s time to go to the bathroom in French :)
I make two addictive pasta salads. The first is rotini with homemade pesto (pesto recipe in Marcella Hazan’s “Classic Italian Cook Book). I add halved grape tomatoes, sauteed crimini mushrooms, shavings of good quality ham and. perhaps, olives. The second recipe can be found on the Epicurious website or old Gourmet or Bon Appetite mags (I forget which). It’s called “orzo salad Niçoise”. People talk about it years after I bring it to potlucks.
I really dislike the typical pasta salad — they all taste the same and I am guilty of making them like that. This sounds amazing and it will be perfect for our next family get together. Thank you for sharing.
I chuckled at your links in the first paragraph. “a” leads to one pasta salad, “few” to another, etc. Hee-Hee. I’m so making this this weekend. I’ve got half a box of pasta that I don’t know what to do with. This is perfect.
This pasta salad is very similar to one I make with fresh grape tomatoes, not roasted. I am sure the roasted tomatoes add a nice bit of sweetness to the salad. Your photographs always have such a nice exposure to them. Very crisp and clear. I have been struggling with proper exposure with my food photos to no end.
I fell in love with these magic morsels two years ago when you first posted the slow roast method. Last summer I canned 12 pints of sauce made with these beauties, having thrown in garlic cloves and tons of herbs from my garden with the ‘maters as they roasted and enjoyed it through the winter on everything from spaghetti squash to turkey meatballs and spicy sausage. Thank you!
those little roasted tomatoes are the cutest things! this looks like another fab summer pasta salad!
To keep the tomato harvest for the whole year I grow and roast my tomatoes. Enjoy them in season and all year long by freezing them. Lots of options including the pasta salad here as well as cooked pasta sauces later whenever we want.
Omg, I agree with ALL of the words. Especially the deli case salad fear. I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe.
One thing I would suggest from past experience and basil love – if there is any chance there will be leftovers, put the fresh basil on the side. Chopped basil oxidizes pretty quickly, even if cut chiffonade-style. I have a very unfortunate memory of making an awesome pasta salad full of tomatoes and (expensive) fresh mozzarella the day before and I blithely tossed in a bunch of fresh chopped basil. The next day the entire salad was terribly bitter. So sad.
This looks great!
My go-to for years has been this one: http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=654
I generally add an extra red onion and reduce the dressing, and often leave out the feta. I tried it recently with farro (with feta) and it was delicious.
Yum! This looks and sounds delicious! It reminds of a Lidia Bastianich’s Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, you should take a look at that, you would probably like it a lot!
Lane — See my suggestions to Gia in Comment #28.
Helen — I’m surprised you say on August and September. Even around here, where we have a very short, late harvest, I see grape tomatoes early in the summer (although likely greenhouse, but still from local farms) and the field tomatoes are usually out by late June.
Crem — Nope, I used grocery store tomatoes. That’s the beauty of this method; it even makes the most of average ones.
Adrienne — Ah, but we were in the Upper East Side, which is like little Paris in places. :) [Note: French parents sitting on the bench, us American parents hovering over our child, although, I mean, he did need help at that point. We look forward to resuming our bench-sitting ways soon.]
Ginger — Thank you. This kitchen has much better light than my old one, which has helped immensely.
Lisa — Love the overnight idea! I will try this soon.
I just love simple italian flavors. Roasted tomatoes are so delicious and summery!
I’ll make this sometime next week, but I’ll chop the tomatoes in half without bothering to slice them perfectly down the middle (it really saves me so much time) and I wonder if I won’t also just toss them onto the pan without bothering to balance them cut side up. I’m lazy like that.
I made your “Nancy’s Chopped Salad” sans lettuce, plus pasta last summer and — just surmising here — I THINK you could get on board.
That said, wouldn’t kick this one out of bed either.
So glad that you didn’t make this with buttermilk (I’m lactose intolerant) or mayo (I love it but it’s not great on pasta and has been overdone.) I can avoid the lactose problem by using goat cheese feta, and so this recipe will be on my summer menu list. Thanks!
sounds like a delicious combination :D
I tried this last night and it was DELICIOUS!
This looks wonderful! But I’m wary of making the full serving size (I live alone) and the recipe doesn’t seem to halve easily. Could I roast the tomatoes and makes the dressing and store them separately for a while?
This looks delicious- and I’m excited for the oregano dressing! I want to try it over a warm Mediterranean salad with lots of wilted greens. On an aside though- I’ve been following your wonderful blog for six years, and it’s been a truly delicious six years. When looking for recipes, I reference your site first to see what you have- which is how I surprisingly found that a search for Beets turned up nothing! So, to poke, have beets just not come up, or do you have a dislike of them?
This looks really good. I’ve always hesitated to try something like this as there is always an ingredient I’m not liking.
Thank you!
This was a big hit. Thanks Deb!! The smoked chicken was really good. Another winner!
I can’t wait to try this because like the other commenters, I feel the same way you do about pasta salad. I have a thought about the tomatoes that may make things easier. I use a (maybe Nigella?) recipe for roasted cherry tomatoes that I love and that makes this salad even easier. You cut the tomatoes and put them on a jelly roll pan and cover them liberally with olive oil, a tsp of sugar, salt to taste and thyme though feel free to substitute balsamic for sugar or another herb for thyme. You then heat your oven to 400, stick the tomatoes in and turn off the oven and leave the tomatoes overnight. Now I do this whenever I am going to have the oven up high for something and then I stick the tomatoes in when I take out the rest. In the morning the tomatoes are shriveled and wonderful and the olive oil makes a great dressing base. Just don’t forget you left the tomatoes in there!
Would this be good with quinoa?
This salad looks inspired! and this post (like all of your other posts) is so very well-written–it’s delightful to read well-crafted musings on a subject so near and dear… ah, food. Thank you for sharing your voice with us for all these years.
Aw, your little guy riding his bike! Very sweet! :) My boy is 3 and 3/4 – sweetest little creatures on earth. Best of luck to you for your second arrival.
This salad almost looks like the types I make. Yuummm
I’ve had a similar struggle with pasta salad. This one looks yummy. My favorite – and Deb, you should try it – is the Alyssa Torey one from her At Home with Magnolia cookbook. It uses roasted sun dried tomato pesto (in addition to the mayo), roasted corn, cherry tomatoes, parsley, parm, and pecans. No matter how much I make, I’ve never had leftovers! Similar principles – crunch, salt, tang, and a little sweet courtesy of the corn. The whole cookbook is actually pretty great – very, VERY underrated.
Deb, you might really enjoy this orzo salad recipe on Simply Recipes. It is SO good. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spinach_and_orzo_salad/
Hi. Gunna make this tomorrow but I want to add spinach. Good Idea? Do I cook it first or use it fresh? Thanks.
In my comment the other day, I said smoked chicken was a big hit. I meant to add in this pasta salad as the “hub” had smoked some thighs the other day. It added just something extra!
I made this for a work treat day lunch this week and it was a huge hit. Many recipe requests! I had scanned the recipe quickly, headed off to acquire ingredients, then started to make it on Thursday night and saw the 90 min. cook time for the tomatoes. On a hot night. Some swearing ensued but I continued on and it was definitely worth it. Will go into my salad rotation for sure. I had to forego the pine nuts because of allergy concerns so I look forward to trying the salad with them next. I did end up adding more vinegar and lemon juice but that’s about it. Wow! Those tomatoes! I’m in love.
I so love this pasta salad it isn’t even funny. It’s easy enough to do in stages when I come home late from work. The tomatoes alone are worth the price of admission- the sad underripe marbles from the grocery store became these shriveled, smoky, juicy things. I made this with cheap cavatelli and feta crumbles, and subbed extra lemon and some sherry vinegar for the red/white. It is compulsively good.
Now THIS is a pasta salad worth tasting! In general, pasta salads are something I pass up in favor of anything else. Made it yesterday afternoon and am totally hooked. The extra bite in the pasta makes a huge difference for me, and the dressing is flavorful enough to grab the attention of every taste bud on my tongue. Thank you, Deb, for sharing this bold and savory creation.
This was delicious. Full disclosure, I did double the toppings (tomato, olives, cheese etc.) just to have maximum flavour per bite. My husband and I kept saying to each other while we were eating: this is so good! It’s nice warm too.
Oh my gosh, this is SO good! Like Liz said, the tomatoes alone are so magnificently worth it. I had the saddest little grocery store tomatoes and they completely transformed in the oven. I used feta cheese and kalamata olives and couldn’t be happier with the way this turned out. Thank you so much Deb!
I just made a batch of this – a big delicious bowl of Mediterranean flavor – perfect! Undercooking the pasta is a brilliant idea.
Made it tonight verbatim. Came out perfect. Thanks Deb.
Made the tomatoes only last night for a ricotta, pine nut, and tomato bruschetta. You are a genius. Can’t wait to make the pasta salad itself but I can see finding a reason to add these tomatoes to everything.
Question – how long do you think they keep?
This salad is amazing and will definitely become part of my summer rotation. I was skeptical about investing 90 minutes in roasting tomatoes, but it definitely transforms otherwise bland store bought tomatoes. Thanks for sharing!
Just made this for my work lunches this week. It’s delicious! It’s at risk of being eaten out of the bowl, leaving nothing for lunch and ruining my dinner. I especially like the dressing, great flavor!
I don’t like cold pasta, so I decided to try this hot. I tossed the hot pasta with the vinaigrette and the basil, since those are the only components everyone in my family likes. I put all the other things out in separate bowls so people could add what they like. We all loved it! Thank you for another delicious recipe!
DEB! this was fabulous! I made this on saturday to rave reviews. This tasted great hot, cold, next day… the dressing was wonderful and didn’t mellow out to nothingness as per my usual pasta salad dressings ! BTW, your dressing measurements were spot on…this dressing is very similar to the Nancy chopped salad dressing recipe which we absolutely love. Thank you for another success – and my pasta salad actually looked like your pic too – which is always a sign of a success :)
Rina — I’d probably just add it fresh, at the end so it doesn’t wilt too much.
Oh boy. I made this yesterday and it is now my (a) new favorite thing, and (b) go-to pasta salad. The tomatoes are fab. Thanks, Smitten Kitchen.
The cherry tomato and cheese (I would use feta or goats cheese) combination is always a winner. This pasta salad looks delicious. Thanks!!
Nothing much on day 1
Freaking AWESOME on day 2.
Make enough to let some of it sit.
Krithika – I halved the recipe, knowing my two kids wouldn’t touch it. it was great, and made four good servings. just use one pint of tomatoes, half a pound pasta, and half the dressing ingredients. The dressing recipe is a great one, not so persnickety that you have to worry about EXACTLY how much is half of 1/3 cup of olive oil – just eyeball it to half in the measuring cup.
Thanks, Deb, for another Fabulous recipe!
We bought all the ingredients for this dish without fully reading the recipe (oops), and due to time constraints my husband roasted the tomatoes and toasted the pine nuts the night before we made the dish and put the tomatoes in the fridge. We did everything else as specified. This recipe is a little more involved than we typically have time for, so we were both really hoping that it wouldn’t be worth the effort. Darn it, Deb. This was amazing. Seriously the best pasta salad we’ve ever eaten, homemade or not. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I am already dreaming of the leftovers (which will be promptly consumed tomorrow night). Thank you!
Oh yeah and a tip: For the dressing step, we found it easier to use a mortar and pestle to make the garlic herb paste.
Made this tonight, and it was great!!! I used powdered oregano (didn’t know it was like that until i dumped it into the tablespoon) and minced garlic (forgot to read those steps and just combined), but the dressing was delicious anyway!
I didn’t have pine nuts and somehow don’t live near a grocery store that sells them (what?!), so my roasted pistachios did the trick anyway.
A delicious recipe that is perfect for warm summer days. I’m glad this is a big portion so I have much more to eat tomorrow!
I grow lots of cherry and roma tomatoes in my garden each summer, and oven roast many of them as they ripen. I store them in quart bags in the freezer and use them for salads and with cream cheese on crackers for a snack all winter long. I have had success with sprinkling them lightly with garlic powder, dried oregano and basil before roasting too. I’ve also partially dried them in my dehydrator and stored them in freezer bags to be used the same way as the oven roasted ones. Either method results in delicious tomatoes that are also good eaten plain for a snack.
My !9 Yr Old ate the whole thing in 2 days. No kidding! It’s a keeper and I did add spinach, fresh. Perfect! Thanks !!
Wonderful salad! My husband and I are both looking forward to having it again. For the dressing, I used 3T fresh oregano, and one tsp dried. Delicious!
Darling Deb!!!!! This is heavenly!!!! I made it for the third Shabbat meal tomorrow and am so enthralled with it!!!!! These tomatoes!!!
You angel!!!!!
First Shabbat meal: mustard milanese from your cookbook.
Delicious! Made this for my family tonight and it was a hit with my husband and me both. We usually have very divergent tastes, so finding a recipe we can equally enjoy is gold to me. Thanks for sharing!
Made this salad this afternoon. Perfect NorCal weather for it. I did do the Moonbeam tomatoes, and used Orrechiete, as I couldn’t find the pasta you recommended. Toasted the pine nuts in a pan on the stove top and added a bit of lemon zest to the dressing, along with some Kalamata olives, as I couldn’t really afford the oil cured ones available at the market. Used some Cotija cheese I had in the fridge, and so far, we’ve been eating little bites out of the salad bowl, because it’s not quite dinner time ;-)
Love this recipe, thank you so much for sharing.
I made the tomatoes last night with small, plump grocery store tomatoes. They came out great. I ate most of them as they cooled. They’re definitely better than the expensive ones in jars, which I had been quite happy with until these!
I have to say that this is not the kind of recipe I usually try, but I was seduced by your photograph of all those tomato halves in such neat rows.
Aw I haven’t had pasta salad in for-ev-er! This looks so amazing!
xx Lane
This was really delicious-I put in plain black olives (kids) but it was a lunch everyone loved. I put in some non-roasted tomatoes too. We ate it kind of warm (no time to chill it) and it was great. It will be a vehicle for all kinds of leftovers. Amanda Hesser makes a salad like this in Cooking for Mr Latte called Arborio Rice salad- I make it with leftover grilled lamb and veggie kabobs.
This is wonderful. I used rotini, subbed scallions for the basil (just what I had), and used walnuts instead of pine nuts (I’m sure pine nuts would be better, but they are too expensive). I reduced the oregano by almost half, and I wouldn’t have wanted any more. It was a great picnic dinner on its own. The roasted tomatoes make it. Thanks!
I’ve made this several times already. I subbed toasted pumpkin seeds for the pine muts and thought they added a nice extra bite. Also when I was out of olives i used chopped marinated artichokes and I’m pretty sure I’ll never go back (for those of you in Canada, the PC Black Label artichokes at whatever version of Loblaws you have are seriously delicious, both here and straight from the jar!).
I’ve made this pasta salad twice in one week! The BF and I gobbled up the first batch (with a little help from my coworkers). I made it again for a family picnic this past weekend.
The first time I made this, I used ~2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the second time I used the full 3 tbsps as written. I actually prefer it with 2 tbsps since I found 3 to be just a *tad* too tart. I made this with feta and used extra olives. This recipe is a keeper.
Made this twice this weekend! I used walnuts instead of pine nuts because of my pine mouth paranoia. Can’t wait to (continue to) be the most popular guest at every summer gathering!
Love your recipes. Looking forward to more.
I’ve now made this three times to bring to parties. Every time it turns out great. I did start adding chopped steamed asparagus or fresh arugula just before serving to add some extra greens. My most recent attempt was made 2 days in advance and the pasta salad did dry out a bit, but some extra olive oil and fresh basil brought it back.
This is a great idea. I love tomatoes and probably I’ll love to cook it soon, just wondering if it would be great if I’ll add some Parsley?
I made this with fresh garden tomatoes (though will roast another time) and subbed in capers, sunflower seeds, and fresh oregano instead of olives, pine nuts, and dried oregano. So good!!!
ive made this salad twice now as prescribed and i just want to thank you for telling us all about it. its wonderful and both times im so glad i have made it :) you continue to be one of my favorite food bloggers and wow me with your recipes.
I just made this today to take to an Independence Day cookout. I used “American flag” bowtie pasta (made in Italy, ha!, dyed with beet juice and Curaçao) for fun. I must say the time it took to slice and cook all those tomatoes was time well spent–and the $20/lb pine nuts were worth the cost of admission. My cute red, white and blue striped pasta tinged the white cheese a little, but what the heck, it’s still festive. It’s a delicious salad, but the tomatoes are the best part – I am already dreaming up ways to use them in other dishes! Thanks for a great recipe.
Delicious! I halved the recipe, added other veggies, lemon basil marinated chicken and Parmesan. I’m happy I had time to make the tomatoes, so much better than sundried in oil. Thank you.
I made this for the 4th along with your triple berry buttermilk bunt cake. As my Nonna use to say: “The Americans, they think it is so good they eat the plates!” (sounds better in Italian). A word about ingredients, You do not need to spend $30 to make this. I bought everything from a basic grocery store including the cheese: feta from the dairy case, I used pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. It was still delicious.
Thanks for sharing! I made this tonight! This is the perfect recipe to anyone who also has more cherry tomatoes in their garden than they know what to do with! The oven baked cherry tomatoes were awesome! If anyone’s curious, it’s basically a more fresh tasting version of pre packaged sun dried tomatoes. The dressing was great too! I used a garlic press and chopped fresh oregano. (Eh, I forgot to mix those ingredients into a paste, but it was still fantastic!) I used linguine noodles and toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts + served warm. Whole family loved it. Thanks again!
Just finished making this. The end result is delicious but I partially burned the tomatoes, I think 150C for 90 minutes is too hot or too long, or both. I’ve made your oven-roasted cherry tomatoes before and the lower temp seems to be a better fit. However, I salvaged the ones I could, and added in a little extra of the other ingredients (olives, cheese) to compensate. Thanks for the recipe, and congrats on another adorable baby!
Update on the overnight tomatoes from Nigella that a few commenters recommended — Woke up to basically raw tomatoes. Did I miss something? So many glowing reviews. Well, back to the drawing board.
First of all, thanks for sharing great blog. I made this recipe tonight. This is one of the best recipes to anyone. The oven baked cherry tomatoes were awesome. I used garlic and chopped tomato to make the best salads.
Wow! Looks pretty darn delicious! I made this recipe for dinner yesterday evening and it was delicious! However, I love tomato in particular and their recipes as well. Thanks for sharing pasta salad with roasted tomato recipes with us.
This salad is amazing and I will make this coming Sunday. It is looking so delicious. My wife and I both are looking forward to having it again. This is heavenly.
i have made this salad so many times now. it is divine. everyone who tries it rolls their eyes in glory. run, dont walk, and make this recipe.!:)
Hi Deb, Do you think it would be okay to use some apple cider vinegar in the dressing instead? I don’t have red or white wine on hand.
Al — Yes, it should be fine, maybe a little sweeter.
realized last night that i neglected to make a side for dinner when a craving for pasta salad hit. i have to admit i only used the dressing recipe (time was a factor, it was already 5pm, heh) but it was great. all the other recipes i looked at online called for bottled dressing – which i’m not opposed to or above, but i didn’t have any in my fridge. i recalled the smashed oregano dressing from the nancy’s chopped salad recipe (which is awesome) and sure enough, this was fab too.
the salad was casarecce, yellow sunburst tomatoes, finely chopped scallions, thinly sliced cucumber, and some marinated mozz i made for a hot pasta dish that never happened. i did add a couple tablespoons of mayo because i like a little creaminess (without gloopiness!) in my pasta salad, but otherwise followed the dressing recipe exactly. really good and even better the next day. next time i’m definitely trying the roasted tomatoes!
This. Was. Delicious. Husband keeps asking me to make it again. Used medium shell pasta, feta cheese, and 1/2 toasted pine nuts, 1/2 roasted chopped macadamia nuts. 1/2 oil-cured olives, half giant pitted black olives from the can. It was nice to have the 2 different olive flavors in there. THANK YOU!
This was easy and delicious! And saved me from wasting ridiculous amount of tomatoes that were going to turn on me! Thank you!
I just made this and it turned out wonderful even though I made some changes. My husband forgot to get basil and I had some leftover pesto that needed to be used so I replaced the dressing with the pesto. Roasting the tomatoes is really the key to this being an elevated pasta salad! Thank you!!
Made this salad, exactly as per the recipe, and it is wonderful, well worth the time taken to cut and roast the tomatoes. Served it at a BBQ, eleven adults, five kids (and two babies), to a family used to eating well – we are Montrealers, we cook. Preceded by smoked salmon rillettes (you’re too young to have the July 1989 issue of Gourmet) and crudités, followed by beef brochettes, using Gourmet’s four ingredient marinade (the one with maple syrup), and chicken brochettes in a citrus marinade ; for dessert vanilla-yogurt cake with strawberries.
I will be making your pasta salad again next week for dinner with friends. BTW, I regularly make your blondies, and my daughter is urging me to try your great lime tart. Keep up the good work !
So this was part of dinner tonight- oh mah Lawd! So much yum! I did end up cutting the tomato roasting time, but i kept an eye on them in about the last 1/2 hour and when they were starting to really all darken I pulled them. I didn’t want burned maters.
This was good. LOVE the roasted tomatoes! I added some diced sweet pepper and scallions. Next time I’d not do the entire 16oz of pasta because I like my pasta salads lighter on the pasta and heavier on the veggies and other goodies. I was afraid the dressing might be too heavy on oregano, but it was perfect. Lots of flavor.
I roast cherub tomatoes for 1 hr 15 min in a 275 degree oven. I do it after our evening meal. Then turn the oven off and leave the tomatoes in the oven til morning.
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray it with cooking spray. Cut tomatoes in half and arrange cut side up on parchment paper. Salt the tomatoes and pop the in oven.
I just made this (minus olives and pine nuts) for my 3-year-old’s birthday party. I made a triple batch and there wasn’t a single noodle left. This was a HUGE hit. Really, really tasty. I think this will be my go-to pasta salad from now on.
This has become a go-to in our house, and my kids inhale it. It’s really forgiving to accommodate whatever we have on-hand (especially when we need to use the CSA bounty!). The roasted tomatoes and olives are key (non-oil cured works well). We typically use feta and the addition of julienned hard salami gives a nice boost. My kids especially love the salad when the pasta is warm and hasn’t totally absorbed all of the dressing. It’s a winner!
This is my all-time favorite pasta salad. Oh my goodness. The pine nuts …
I just made this today and it came out deliciously. The roasted tomatoes were truly amazing! Even my mother-in-law was impressed! I did make some modifications: I halved the amount of pasta while keeping the other ingredient amounts the same (per someone else’s comments), I replaced olives with half the amount of capers, I roasted the tomatoes for 75 mins, and I used farfalle pasta because I couldn’t find reginetti. I’m serving the rest tomorrow and so I saved some of the dressing to use to revive the pasta tomorrow. Excited to have this pasta again soon!
When I read your opening comments about your fear of pasta salads from the deli counter I was yelling, yes! yes! I’ve been on a quest for great pasta salads forEVER! I specifically searched for “Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes” because that combo of pasta with roasted tomatoes is the best taste in the world, really! I make a yummy pasta (or Israeli couscous) with roasted tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, garlic, etc. and serve as a side dish often. I was asked to bring a “pasta salad” to a BBQ tomorrow and I refuse to bring a traditional salad, so hence, I’m trying this one. Thanks for sharing this!
This pasta salad is perfection! And I’m Italian and very picky about my pastas ;-)
soo….as i mentioned previously (both here and on instagram), the dressing for this pasta salad is outstanding and frankly it’s the only one i use now. i just use whatever pasta, veggies, and cheese i have on hand. i could share it but honestly i’d rather eat it all myself for a week straight.
anyhow, today i thought i’d use up the last of a container of yellow cherry tomatoes and try the roasting step. (normally i’d just add tomatoes uncooked.) unfortunately, this did not work out for me. a little over an hour after i put them in the oven, i smelled burnt sugar. and…yep, a tray of burnt black tomatoes. i have a thermometer in my oven so i know the temp was 300. (and i’ve been here over three years and cook every night so while the oven is old i’m used to it.) i guess it’s my fault for not checking them earlier but now i’ve got no tomatoes to add to my pasta salad. /sad trombone
i could try this again and cook them for less time or at a lower temp but i think i’ll just stick to adding them in uncooked. the really dumb thing is i almost bought a second crate of tomatoes at whole foods yesterday but i didn’t because i already had ‘so many’ to use up. not funny, universe! XD
I halved the recipe without thinking it was probably side salad size. The original recipe would serve 4 main meals, 8 sides. Just made it for week lunches so wasn’t an issue. It is delicious though! This is going to become a regular meal!
Luscious top shelf ingredients dressed with a distinctive oregano dressing produced a luxurious pasta salad. A new standard in pasta salads. Absolutely the best. Thank you!
I followed this recipe to a tee and it was absolute perfection, in all honesty I could eat roasted tomatoes like chips. The salad was huge hit at a Badger tailgating party….and the red and white color scheme was perfect! From now on this will be my go to pasta salad recipe.
Delicious! This has so much flavor, it’s now my go-to pasta salad.
My favorite pasta salad, hands down. I am however a tad confused as to what to do with the garlic in order to obtain “a grainy herb paste” for the dressing. The written receipe states that the garlic should be roughly chopped, but the photo shows a garlic press. I have, up until now, tried mincing the garlic with my knife, but the result is somewhat “dry” and doesn’t resemble a paste at all. It really doesn’t matter as the taste is still fantastic..
Hi Deb
I’m heading to a cookout this weekend and was looking for fun things to bring. In my search I realized the “30 ways to be a good guest” link is broken :-( Thought you’d like to know.
This pasta salad dish is amazing. Roasting the tomatoes is the best thing ever and the dressing with those sweet tomatoes is an amazing combo. I only had 1.5 T of red wine vinegar so I used 1.5 T of white peach white balsamic that I had in the house and it worked out just fine. I put shredded Parmesan in lieu of ricotta salata, but will try to get it next time. Thank you Deb for these gems! You are making my husband very happy with his summer eats! Xx
We made a modified version of this four days ago, and it’s still delicious with no limp noodles.
*chefs kiss*
I make this every year for our early July 4th celebration in Tokyo and it is always a huge hit!! The left overs are delicious too!
Look no further, this is the inexplicably magic pasta salad. The toasted pine nuts add the perfect nutty crunch. Total win here Deb!
I made this last summer for a party. People loved it. I’m roasting some tomatoes right now, and if i can NOT eat them all, i’ll probably use some of them to make it again.
by the way, someone asked me, “You really roasted your own tomatoes for this???” yes, it was worth it.
Hi Deb, Thank you for all your awesome recipes! I have tons of plum tomatoes and other (larger than grape) tomatoes from my CSA. Do you think I can chop those up and use them in this recipe?
I’ve made this twice already and expect to make it many more times – it’s so incredibly delicious! The only problem is not eating all the roasted tomatoes before they make it into the salad! Super yummy. Does take a bit of time to make, but well worth it. I used sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts, because the grocery was short on pine nuts, still super good! Two thumbs up!
Can I roast the tomatoes a day in advance?
Absolutely.
Hello,
I just wanted to tell you that this is the BEST pasta salad I have ever eaten. That dressing is the best flavor. I have made a few substitutions when making it just for myself though. I do not put the olives in because I hate olives, but if I’m taking the dish somewhere, I always put them it. I have also substituted the types of nuts I put it, walnuts or pecans work great. Because I love feta, I put extra, and because I just LOVE acidity, I put extra lemon juice. In fact for a single recipe, I double the dressing.
Chicken is also great in this dish as well.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how much I love this recipe and seem to be making it all the time. THANK YOU!
Looks so fabulous, I can’t wait to make and eat it with summer tomatoes all season. What cheese did you use? The link takes us to a website but doesn’t identify the particular cheese. Also, the “oil-cured olives” link in the text goes nowhere. Would like to know which ones you love right now!
Gah — I deleted the broken links. (Wouldn’t it be great if everyone used link redirects when changing URLs on their sites? I do!) I use ricotta salata for this. Doesn’t have to be from a fancy store. This is the pasta shape I used.
this was delicious! perfect salad to kick off summer. used tj’s traditional feta in brine + some of their hot house grown san m tomatoes. swapped in GF bionature pasta w no issues.
Can this be made a day ahead??
I personally think this salad taste even better as it sits. I pour some of the dressing over right away, but because it soaks in you loose some flavor. Then before serving I pour the rest over and give it a quick toss. I also make a double batch of dressing as I like extra! It really is the best! Hope that helps.
I’ve made this several times as written and it’s a hit every time! I just made a big batch of pesto and can’t help but think it would be a lovely addition. Maybe a heaping tablespoon in place of the basil garnish? Thoughts?
I just made this last week and it was so good! Took it to work for lunch with some baked chicken. Used pre-made Italian dressing rather than making your oregano dressing, but it was still delicious!
Thank you, Deb. EXCELLENT pasta salad. The oregano zesty dressing was so good. I made sure all my pine nuts got toasty brown. I was very liberal with the basil – chiffonade mixed thru out, and then I garnished the big beautiful bowl of pasta with a giant basil sprig stuck right in the middle. The only tweaking I did was zesting the lemon I squeezed for juice, and adding that zest to the dressing. I’m sure you approve :o) ps Pasta was for a big joint cooking get-together with our neighbors. I also made your Perfect Garlic Bread – every last crumb eaten. Again with the oregano, and cheese, and I garnished with both parsley and chives. I’m proud to be the woman people ask to bring (your) garlic bread to parties. Thanks again!
Love this recipe, it’s my go-to pasta salad. I’ve used it so many times! Perfect when you need a side dish, and leftovers become a main for the next day! Thanks Deb. :)
I made a double batch of this for my daughter’s first birthday party this weekend. I hadn’t made it before but knew I could trust the recipe to be delicious, and it was! Everyone loved it, including the little ones. I cooked the pasta, roasted the tomatoes, and mixed the dressing two days before. Then I assembled the salad, except for the pine nuts, one day before. The day of, I added a tiny bit more dressing and stirred in the pine nuts. I also kept aside a smaller bowl with no feta for the dairy-free crowd, and it was just as yummy. I’m definitely keeping this in my party-food repertoire!
I love this recipe. I have made it twice this week because I have so many tomatoes in the yard! We are vegan so I skip the cheese. And I hate pine nuts with a passion so I use pepitas. Otherwise I make it as written and I love it!!
I had some tomatoes i wanted to use so i thought i would do a pesto pasta salad. Was originally going to throw them in raw but i thought i would check to see if you had any other fun ideas for tomatoes on this site. Found the slow roasted tomatoes and although mine were bigger than cherry tomatoes and i ran out of patience 2 hrs in, i took them out. They definitely hadnt dried out like you described in the post and lost their shape when i mixed them in, but the flavor was ahhhmazing. No regrets.
Wish you offered a button where the reader could click to get a “printable” recipe. Don’t see it offered on this or other recipes. Am I missing it somehow?
There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” You can also click CTRL or ⌘ + P from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template. We will definitely make it easier to find when we next redesign.
We are packing a real picnic on the Fourth of July and heading to a lakeside park. My contribution will be this pasta salad. It looks and sounds fabulous and I am looking forward to making it.
This was delicious. Would it work with fresh oregano?
I used fresh oregano and it was delicious
I am eating this right now….OMG the flavors and textures.
Another fabulous recipe that will be used over and over again!
I used queso fresco…feta cheese for the next time.
Thank you!
I must say, Deb, this salad is the best thing I’ve made all summer, probably all year. And altho I’ve made dozens of things from your cookbooks and this site, it may be my absolute favorite. I made it for a crowd at a vacation house and it beat the dinner I made with it. I re-made it at home (with somewhat better ingredients) and it was even more brilliant (is that possible?) the 2nd time.
The tomatoes are as you promised. My only changes are adding in the lemon zest before I juice it, adding about 12 oz of chopped artichokes, and doubling the dressing.
Thank you. I will be eating this all summer.
Thanks for sharing this on FB! We made it tonight to go with our post 4th burgers. It’s amazing!
Delicious and easy. Just plan ahead for the roasting.
Made this for a picnic yesterday. It was fantastic, and the dressing is so delicious. I use garlic from a tube (so easy) and my no-frills discount grocery store had a display of fancy pasta shapes so I picked up radiatori (little radiator shape). Pine nuts are crazy expensive so I used roughly chopped pistachios. This one is a keeper.
Love this recipe! It’s become one of my go-to meals. It works especially well with picky eaters if you keep all (or some of) the components separate and everyone can add what they like. I recommend adding arugula at the table- I serve it in a separate bowl and everyone can add as much as they want. (it doesn’t keep well with the arugula already added). It adds a really nice bitterness to counteract the sweet tomatoes and the sour olives and feta – takes it up a notch!
Hey! Does this pasta freeze well?
No, I wouldn’t freeze a pasta salad.
This was easy and delicious. We made a whole meal out of it. The sweetness of the roasted pine nuts add a nice contrast to the saltiness of the dressing, olives and feta( couldn’t find any of the other cheeses) thanks for another winner. Dependable Deb!
Does anyone, or does anyone have a person in their household that doesn’t like the “skins” of roasted tomatoes? Is there solution? Can canned tomatoes work?
This might make me strange, but I really don’t like cold pastas, just like I won’t eat cold pizza. So when we make this, we serve it warm, and it’s delicious. I omit the olives and we’ll use either pine nuts if I can find them or toasted walnuts, and it’s great, even when it’s hot. :)
I made this yesterday for our first in person Book Club post COVID at the beach. I mistakenly used Italian Seasoning instead of oregano bc they were side by side on my counter. It still turned out great! I might up the amount of cheese next time.
Really want to try this but not a fan of pine nuts at all. Do like the idea of a nut for crunch. Any other ideas for what I could sub in?
Honestly, any you like. I use sunflower seeds sometimes, walnuts, almonds. Just toast them a little if they’re not crunchy.
This sounded like a lot of oregano — 1 1/2 tablespoons — so I reduced it to 1 tablespoon and still felt like it was too much. Is there a chance this is a typo and the recipe should read 1 1/2 TEASPOONS? It’s still a lovely salad, but I will reduce the oregano to 1 1/2 teaspoons next time. I did use Sicilian oregano, by the way, and also tomato vinegar to complement the roasted tomatoes, which were indeed worth the effort!
oh i strongly recommend using the full amount of oregano. it’s divine!
I made this the other night for our first in-person book group since the pandemic. The book was a dud but the pasta salad was a big hit. The leftovers were delicious too. I look forward to making it again with our garden tomatoes. Thanks for a yet another great recipe.
Wow! This is fantastic! As others have said, this is my new go-to summer salad, and I am writing this before it’s had a chance to sit. I’m sure it will only get better.
I have an overabundance of cherry tomatoes from my garden, so I gave this a try. It is absolutely fabulous. I modified quite a few ingredients based on what was in my fridge and garden–used lots of thinly sliced cucumber and green pepper, loads of fresh parsley and basil, sliced pepperoni, crumbled cojita, sliced Greek olives and fresh oregano (about 1 TBS) instead of dried for the dressing. The result was a sort of antipasto pasta salad, but the roasted tomatoes and dressing definitely made this dish. Based on other reviews, i cooked tomatoes at 275 to avoid burning, but ended up leaving them for about 2 hours so i think 300 would have been fine for me. Also, because I added so many things, i only used about 3/4 lb pasta to get good ratio of all ingredients. In all, the result was the best pasta salad that I’ve ever eaten. Even better after a night in the fridge. 10/10 without question.
I was wondering what cheese is the best for this recipe? Where would I find ricotta that you
Mentioned?
I can find it at my local grocery stores. You could also use feta.
Love this salad and dressing! I have also made the dressing with za’atar instead of oregano and it’s equally amazing!
this is by far my fav pasta salad. i’m wondering if anyone has made it with sundries tomatoes? if so, how did it compare? thanks.
Made this last night for an outdoor potluck and I adore it. Did make a couple swaps based on what I had on hand/was in the mood for.
Instead of pine nuts, lightly roasted pumpkin seeds.
Instead of basil, fresh mint.
I don’t like olives so I eliminated those. To go with the mint, and since feta was my cheese choice, I small diced some English cucumber. I wouldn’t call that a swap per se but it did help keep the ratios in balance.
I was worried when I first read the recipe that the tomato prep would be too fussy for my liking but it was really no big deal. Barely five minutes to prep the tomatoes while the oven warms up and then they just do their thing. And oh my god was it worth it.
I’ve made this a bunch of times now, it’s always a big hit! I add lemon zest to the dressing, and also up the lemon juice because I love the punchy lemon flavor. The tomatoes are just delicious!!
Hello! I’m not the biggest fan of the texture of olives but I do like the saltiness that they’d bring. Do you have any suggestions for things to swap out for it?
This recipe is delicious! Big hit with everyone at our holiday bbq. We subbed the olives with salami and can’t have red wine viniger so went with more of a honey mustard in the dressing. Thanks for creating this!
Made this today because I bought a 681g package of grape tomatoes that looked really good, plus I had a box of Cascatelli pasta that I’ve been curious about. As other reviewers mentioned, I used Nigella’s Moonblush tomato method and sliced all the tomatoes quickly between two takeout lids, put them on a baking sheet with olive oil & salt, put them into a 475F oven, and turned off the heat – then went to bed. Woke up and put them in a takeout container drizzled with more olive oil, then stored them in the fridge until dinner time. Assembled the pasta salad easily (without olives) and it was delicious! Loved the crunch of the toasted pine nuts and the bright olive oil dressing. Combined with those Moonblush tomatoes and feta, it was a wonderful meal on a summer evening – when the cool breeze blows in but before the mosquitos start swarming. I enjoyed the pasta salad more than the grilled chicken and bell peppers we made to go with it. I already recommended this salad to my neighbors upstairs, downstairs, and across the street.
late to join this particular party, deb, but wanted to thank you for another brilliant recipe. the flavors are all so perfect together and i loved chopping the garlic and oregano together. a perfect summer meal for my family. how great to see a recipe like this span 7 years of happy smitten kitchenites.
The only criticism I have of this dish is that it is so good I could not control myself from eating it upon making it.
Made exactly as written; packed with flavor! The tomatoes were so tasty, and easy to do.1
This is a fantastic recipe! Made it on the weekend and it was delicious served immediately, and was great the next day too. Got rave reviews!
So happy to have this back in rotation. This is hands down the best easy and versatile pasta salad ever! 🙏🏻
I don’t usually read pasta salad recipes anymore because I have one that is awesome! BUT I love your recipes so I read this one. I can’t wait to make it! I do have a question. Pine nuts are expensive and this calls for a half cup. Can they be subbed with something else and this still be awesome? 😋
Guys, I have one of those air fryers that are countertop convection ovens (Instant Vortex) and I roasted the tomatoes in, like, 32 minutes.
I halved two-ish pints of those “Cutie” grape tomatoes, tossed them w/oil and salt, then spread them over the two slotted trays in my fryer.
I set them to bake at 300° for 60 minutes, but the oven cut itself back to 290°, and the top rack ’maters were charred on the edges after 30 mins. They were somewhat less than fresh, so that was probably a factor, but I’m thrilled to have a way to make slow-roasted tomatoes a bit less slowly.
I just made this for the first time today and it was a BIG hit! I love the flexibility with the nut and cheese choices. Thanks for the inspiration!
This salad was a major hit in my home! It was a bit time consuming, but nothing major, & so very worth it. I am crazy about those roasted tomatoes! What other uses would you suggest for them?
This is the only pasta salad I enjoy! It’s so alive with flavour! In addition to the roast tomatoes, I add roasted red pepper and zucchini cut the same size as the tomatoes. For all the vegetables, I sprinkle dried oregano on them before roasting.
I recommend this salad to everyone and made it again today.
It is SO good! I didn’t have pine nuts and used toasted slivered almonds; it is still fabulous! I always make extra dressing because it is a great marinade as well. I may drink a bit of it as well.
I made this to feed a crowd at a cottage weekend. Everyone loved it! Definitely the best pasta salad I’ve ever made, and very adaptable. Great dressing. But I would say the oven dried tomatoes really make it. Another winner! Thank you Deb!
I was asked to bring a pasta salad to a baby shower. I didn’t have one in my salad repetoire so I searched here and decided to try this one. It’s really delicious. Mine looks nothing like the one in your photos – my tomatoes all fell apart and made the salad red in colour but it’s so yummy and I’m hoping there will be leftovers!
I found this recipe at the beginning of the pandemic and it’s become a staple. I never regret the extra time to roast the tomatoes. It really is perfect. I make this ahead for camping trips and friend group airbnb weekends. 10/10