The beauty of this pasta salad is its flexibility. Head over to the supermarket’s olive bar (or the jarred condiments aisle) and load up your cart with whatever looks good: roasted red peppers, grilled artichokes, herb-infused olives, marinated beans or mushrooms—try to use at least three options for the most exciting pasta salad. Tossed together with a garlicky sun-dried-tomato base, all that’s missing is some mozzarella and a few handfuls of basil. Serve this one solo, maybe with some arugula, and call it dinner; or bring it as a side to a picnic or barbecue—the longer it sits, the better it tastes. If you can find roasted garlic or garlic confit, use 4 cloves instead of 2 fresh, smashed into a paste with the flat side of a knife.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes (plus chilling)
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Mix 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, ½ cup finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ cup sun-dried tomato marinating oil, ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (if using), ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt in a large bowl to combine.
Step 2
Cook 1 lb. short pasta (such as radiatore, cavatappi, or rigatoni) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, and rinse. Transfer warm pasta and reserved pasta cooking liquid to bowl with sun-dried tomato mixture.
Step 3
Add 8 oz. small mozzarella balls, halved, or fresh mozzarella, torn into 1" pieces, and 4 cups coarsely chopped mixed olive bar antipasti (such as roasted red peppers, marinated grilled artichokes, mixed pitted olives, marinated white beans or chickpeas, and/or marinated mushrooms) and gently toss to combine. Cover pasta salad and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
Step 4
Just before serving, taste pasta salad and season with more salt and black pepper if needed. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and top with basil leaves.
