Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Yumna Jawad

Updated Jul 26, 2025

5 from 8 reviews

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad with rotini pasta, dressing made from the sun-dried tomato oil, lemon, honey, and spices. Fresh spinach, olives, and red onion.

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Comments
12

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Sun-dried tomato pasta salad is so good!

This sun-dried tomato pasta salad came out of me trying to make something that wasn’t super heavy but still felt like a real meal. I use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes as the base of the dressing, so I’m not wasting it, and everything else just gets tossed in from there.

I usually add chickpeas, spinach, some briny olives, and feta if I have it to this sun-dried tomato pasta salad. It holds up well in the fridge, which makes it an easy one to eat off of for a couple of days.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Ingredients

Ingredients for recipe: sun dried tomatoes, oil, onion, pasta, Dijon mustard, spices and lemon.
  • Rotini pasta: I like to use rotini because the spiral shape holds the liquid in this salad so well, but any short, sturdy noodle will work. You can swap in a gluten-free noodle too!
  • Sun-dried tomatoes: I love jarred sun-dried tomatoes because the leftover oil adds great flavor to this pasta salad dressing.
  • Baby Spinach: Look for prewashed baby spinach at the grocery store; it should be in the same section as the prepared salads.
  • Dressing: This dressing calls for sun-dried tomato oil, honey, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, and oregano. Swap in a different mustard if you’re not a Dijon fan.
  • Red onion: I prefer raw red onions because they’re milder in flavor than white or yellow onions!
  • Chickpeas: Chickpeas are my favorite way to add some protein to this pasta salad, but you can definitely try canned tuna or white beans, instead.
  • Olives: I love the salty flavor of green olives for this dish but black olives will work, too.
  • Feta cheese: Feta is a great, rich Mediterranean cheese for this sun-dried tomato pasta salad, but goat cheese would also be good.

How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Dressing ingredients in a bowl before mixing.
Step 1: Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and pour the oil into a large serving bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper and whisk until emulsified and creamy.
Dressing with red onions added.
Step 2: Add the red onion, toss, and allow to marinate while you make the rest of the pasta salad.
Cooked pasta, chickpeas, olives, spinach and sun dried tomatoes added on top of dressing.
Step 3: Add the cooked pasta to the bowl on top of the dressing with the onions. Add the reserved sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, and olives.
Sun-dried tomato pasta salad topped with crumbled feta cheese.
Step 4: Toss to combine and sprinkle with feta cheese.
Sun-dried tomato pasta salad in a bowl.

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad
5 from 8 reviews
Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad made with rotini pasta tossed in a dressing made with oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, honey, and spices. Fresh spinach, olives, and red onion complete the pasta salad.
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Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings4 servings
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Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces rotini pasta
  • 1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
  • 1 lemon zest and juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup baby spinach packed
  • ½ cup green olives halved
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta.
  • Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and pour the oil into a large serving bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper and whisk until emulsified. Add the red onions and allow them to marinate in the dressing while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  • Transfer the pasta on top of the dressing with the onions. Add the reserved sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, and olives. Toss to combine and sprinkle with feta cheese right before serving.

Equipment

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 4-5 days in the fridge.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. Since it’s a salad though, the ingredients and measurements are just guidelines, so feel free to adjust. To make this gluten-free, use any type of gluten-free pasta you’d like and cook it al dente.
 
Original recipe
8 ounces rotini pasta
1 cup sun dried tomatoes with their oil
15 ounces can chickpeas rinsed and drained
5 ounces canned salmon or tuna
½ cup green olives pitted sliced
¼ cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions but reduce cooking time by 2 minutes so pasta is al dente; drain well.
2. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with all the ingredients together until well combined. Enjoy cold or at room temperature or warmed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 384kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 836mg, Potassium: 398mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 844IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 130mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment below!

Recipe Tips

  1. Cook your pasta al dente. Pasta should always be cooked al dente for pasta salad! It’ll prevent your noodles from getting soggy when you add your dressing and stir in your add-ins. Take a look at my tips on how to perfectly cook pasta every time!
  2. Dress your pasta while it’s hot. Your noodles will absorb dressing best when they’re hot!
  3. Never rinse your pasta. Natural starches are released as your pasta cooks, which help the dressing stick to the noodles. Rinsing your pasta will cool it down and strip those natural starches.
  4. Toss your pasta salad. Toss your pasta salad rather than stirring it. This will keep your noodles intact while still fully combining all the pasta salad ingredients!
A bowl of sun-dried tomato pasta salad topped with crumbled feta cheese.

Serving Ideas

FAQs

How do I store and reheat my sun-dried tomato salad?

Because this pasta salad doesn’t have any mayo, it keeps really well! Just let your salad cool, then transfer it to an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Do I eat this pasta salad hot or cold?

This pasta salad is incredibly versatile and delicious when served cold, at room temperature, or warm. If you eat it directly after you make it, it will be on the warmer side. To eat it cold, plan on a 2-ish-hour cooling time in the fridge.

What if I don’t have sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil?

If you only have dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, you can rehydrate them in hot water for about 10 minutes and then use olive oil for the dressing!

A fork scooping up a bite of sun-dried tomato pasta salad.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

This sun-dried tomato pasta salad recipe was originally published on April 20, 2020, and has recently been updated to remove the tuna for a more versatile recipe. The post has also been updated with new photography and step-by-step process shots to help make the recipe. If you loved the original recipe you can still find it in the notes section of the recipe card below!

5 from 8 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Jamie says:

    There was a version of this pasta salad you posted before that had tuna, balsamic vinegar, and some other different ingredients I can’t remember. I absolutely loved that salad and wish you had just uploaded an entirely new recipe instead of editing the old one since I can’t remember all of the ingredients that were in it. Any chance you still have the list of the old ingredients that you could comment here so I could make it again?

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Hi Jamie! So glad you enjoyed the original version of this recipe!! Luckily, I was able to find it—you can now see the ingredients and instructions in the notes section of the recipe card. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
      1. Jamie says:

        Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

        Reply
  2. Prafulla says:

    Quick and easy recipe. I used black olives and it is very tasty! Thanks

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Thanks, Prafulla! So happy you liked it!!

      Reply
  3. Gloria says:

    This is my new favorite pasta salad!!! Using the sun-dried tomato oil as part of the dressing is perfection. This is a pasta salad that everyone can enjoy and BONUS, it is so quick and easy to prepare!

    Thank you for another delicious recipe!

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Thank you! So glad you liked it and found it easy to make, Gloria!!

      Reply
  4. Marcella says:

    Hi there, do you think black olives will be ok in substitute of the green? Thank you

    Reply
    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Absolutely!

      Reply
  5. Jess Thomas says:

    This recipe is so easy to make and tastes so good. I eat it cold for my work lunches and I reckon it is my new go-to lunch! Will definitely be making more.

    Reply
    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      That’s awesome!! So glad to hear it!

      Reply
  6. Amanda says:

    I love The addition of sun dried tomatoes to pasta salad. Would definitely make it more often .

    Reply