Description
This cherry tomato pasta salad is a summer staple – it’s a combo of sauteed cherry tomatoes and olives and sweet pickled red onions, with just a hint of heat. Perfect for meal-prepping over the weekend or serving at a summer picnic!
Ingredients
Scale
Pickled Red Onions
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Tomatoes & Olives
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup (6 oz or 175 g) pitted castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped*
- 1 cup (3.5 oz or 110 g) cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes**
Other Ingredients
- 8 oz (230 g) Toscani pasta (farfalle and fusilli also work well)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions. Once the pasta is done, drain and rinse immediately with cold, then set aside to cool in the colander.
- While the pasta cooks, pickle the onions. To a large serving bowl or mixing bowl, add the thinly sliced red onion, lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, and kosher salt. Mix well and set aside to quick-pickle.
- Saute the tomatoes and olives. To either the same pot you used to cook the pasta or a deep skillet, add in the olive oil, chopped olives, cherry tomatoes, and garlic. Saute the tomatoes and olives on medium heat until the tomatoes burst and their skin is wrinkled about 6-8 minutes. Make sure to occasionally stir the tomatoes and olives during this time. Then add in the red pepper flakes, stir well, and let the tomatoes and olives continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. The oil should have a slightly orange-red hue.
- Mix and serve. Once the tomatoes and olives are done, add them to the bowl of pickled onions, along with the cooled pasta, and minced herbs. Mix well to combine and adjust for salt. You can serve this pasta salad immediately (it tastes great warm), or let it chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- Store any leftovers in a glass container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
*Sub with pitted green olives.
**If you’re not a big fan of spice, just use 1 tsp of red pepper flakes.