Bruschetta Pasta Salad

Bruschetta Pasta Salad
BRUSCHETTA PASTA SALAD
This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is a perfect summer side dish. Loaded with tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese and noodles this salad is a must make dish!
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Was there ever a better foodie match than tomatoes with basil and garlic and cheese? Now let’s add some noodles and you have a Bruschetta Pasta Salad. Oh yes…think about that for a second. You want to make it don’t you? Picture yourself on a sunny summer deck, with a glass of wine (or sparkler) in hand…you’re sitting down to a delicious summer meal and this salad is on the menu. Ahhhhh

I love this flavour combination so much that I’m planning to dedicate 2 big flower pots in my garden this summer to growing tomatoes and basil and I can’t wait. These two plants are a match made in heaven, even in the garden…they’re perfect companion plants that help each other grow. When I plant them side by side I get the best basil in the world! And that means plenty of bruschetta, goat cheese tarts, Caprese salad, and this bruschetta pasta salad. Hello summer.
So let’s get back to this pasta dish, shall we? This dish is fresh and very easy to put together. For this pasta salad the noodles, tomatoes and basil are tossed with olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, some parmesan cheese, then seasoned with salt and pepper. Just simple and delicious. And you can use any kind of noodles that you like for this dish, I just happened to have some orecchiette noodles around so I used them. I liked how the shape of the noodle held the bruschetta so you had a mouthful of flavour in each bite.
bruschetta pasta salad
Yield: 6 servings

DESCRIPTION
This Bruschetta Pasta Salad is a perfect summer side dish. Loaded with tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese and noodles this salad is a must make dish!

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 cups cooked pasta
  • 5 tomatoes (chopped (I use vine ripened because they have the most flavour!))
  • 2 green onions (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp red onion (chopped finely)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 bunch basil (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 – 4 tsp balsamic vinegar (to your taste)
  • 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.
  2. Let this mixture rest for at least 15 minutes.
  3. Then toss the tomato mixture with the cooked noodles.
  4. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
  5. You can serve and enjoy this recipe right away, or let it rest for up to an hour before enjoying!