Authentic Italian Pasta Salad (Pasta Fredda)

Italian pasta salad in a plate topped with sun dried tomatoes, grape tomatoes, olives, basil, mozzarella and tuna

Authentic Italian Pasta Salad (Pasta Fredda)

This Italian pasta salad is the authentic recipe that you will find all over Italy during the summer. It's different from a typical pasta salad: made with pasta (of course!) olives, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, tuna and fresh basil. The best part is that it keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge, making it a great meal prep option!

Course Pasta, Salad

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Servings people

Calories 549kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

500 grams short pasta penne, fusilli, gemelli etc
1 cup olives (taggiasca or kalamata) cut in half lengthwise
1 ½ cups grape tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
¾ cups sun dried tomatoes cut into strips
1 ½ cups bocconcini mozzarella cut in half
3 cans (240 grams) tuna in olive oil 3x 80g cans
¼ cup fresh basil hand torn
¼ cup olive oil approximate, see notes
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water and throw in the pasta.
Cook the pasta until cooked to al dente. Drain the pasta and place into a large bowl.
Drizzle the pasta with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss. This is to keep the pasta from sticking together before you add the rest of the ingrdients.
Let the pasta cool down, until it reaches room temperature, about 15-20 minutes.
Once pasta has cooled down, add in all the ingredients (olives, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, tuna, basil). Season with salt and pepper.
Give everything a good toss. Drizzle with more olive oil if needed.

Notes

Storing: Store this pasta salad in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cold, no need to reheat!

Nutrition