This gluten-free pasta salad takes its inspiration from the Italian antipasti bar using sundried tomatoes, olives, and marinated white beans in addition to fresh tomatoes and basil. It’s vegetarian and dairy-free, but still filling enough as a main course without any cheese or salami (though you can always add some!). The pasta salad can also be dressed ahead of time and brought to a summer BBQ as a cold side dish!
If I’m being honest, I’ve never been a big fan of macaroni salads that you find in the deli case. Traditionally, this is what you think of when you think of pasta salad, and it might be why many people similarly say that they hate pasta salad.
That said, my mother has been making a cold gluten-free pasta salad with marinated tomatoes for as long as I can remember. As soon a summer hits and the cherry tomatoes start popping off at the farmer’s market, I immediately make this bruschetta-like pasta topping. It is the Italian approach to a gluten-free pasta salad, and a revelation, especially when you get even more creative with other briny delicious additions.
I love taking a shortcut for adding tons of flavor to a dish by using ingredients from the antipasti bar. Even if I’m not literally shopping from it at the grocery store, these are all jars and cans that I usually have on hand—olives, sundried tomatoes, and white beans.
Even during the summer months when there is so much fresh produce and herbs, I love adding these items to amplify the flavor. You can even add the brine from the olives or the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes to create even more of a dressing for this gluten-free pasta salad.
Making gluten-free Italian pasta salad: step by step
Gluten-free farfalle (or bowtie pasta) is dressed with a mixture of balsamic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, minced garlic and salt. As the fresh tomatoes sit in this mixture, they become all the more juicy and flavorful, while releasing their natural juices to mix into the dressing.
Many Italian pasta salads have cheese or salami added to them. While you can certainly go this route, I wanted to give an option for the vegetarian and dairy-free folks that won’t leave them missing a thing.
While the whole pasta salad can be made in advance, with gluten-free pasta you have to be a little careful about how much sauce the noodles absorb. They tend to be little sponges and leave little dressing behind. Make sure you review some of the mistakes people make cooking gluten-free pasta in my guide!
For that reason, I recommend marinating the tomato mixture as early as you like (even the night before), then adding the pasta to the mixture not too long before you serve it.
For best results, I like to rinse the noodles with room temperature water to remove the starch and stop the cooking process, but then let it hang out at room temperature instead of putting it in the fridge, where the gluten-free pasta can seize up and become brittle.
If you are assembling the whole thing the day before, try microwaving the pasta with a few tablespoons of boiling water for a minute just to soften the noodles. Wait until serving to add the basil so it’s still beautifully green and vibrant.
You can add a handful of arugula to make this even more of a main course pasta salad, or bring it to a picnic, BBQ or potluck gathering as a make-ahead side dish. It can hang out on the counter for a while without you having to worry (the benefits of no mayonnaise…sorry macaroni salad!).
Read on for the best gluten-free pasta salad you’ll ever taste!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Italian Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Marinated Tomatoes
If your grocery store has an antipasti bar, you can load up on the olives, sundried tomatoes and even the gigante beans directly from there instead of buying cans or jars! Other fabulous additions would be marinated artichoke hearts or mini mozzarella balls.
There are a few brands that carry gluten-free farfalle (bow tie pasta!), but if you can’t find it, fussili is more widely available and would be great in this gluten-free pasta salad, as would penne.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes halved or diced heirloom tomatoes (or a mix!)
- One 15-ounce can cannellini butter or gigante beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces sundried tomatoes packed in oil about 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces pitted kalamata or Castelvetrano olives about 1 cup, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup basil leaves torn
- 12 ounces gluten-free farfalle or fussili see note
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, white beans, sundried tomatoes, olives, garlic, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Allow the tomato antipasti mixture to marinate at room temperature while you prepare the pasta. It can also be made the night before and left covered overnight in the fridge.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water until the pasta is room temperature. Add the gluten-free pasta to the bowl with the tomato olive mixture and toss.
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Before serving, add the fresh torn basil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed. Serve the gluten-free Italian pasta salad at room temperature or cold if preferred.