Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
This gluten free pasta salad with sundried tomatoes and basil will be a hit for every party! This recipe is super flavorful and delicious for everyone. And bonus, it can be made gluten free, or with regular pasta, however you prefer it!
One of the things that I thought would be a big challenge when I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2023 would be attending classic gatherings and parties, no longer able to eat my favorite foods. This ranges from rice balls on Christmas Eve and my aunt’s famous chocolate chip cookies to my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs and pasta salad at summer barbecues. This summer, I was determined to perfect my gluten free pasta salad.
When I cook and bake gluten free, it’s super important to me that my food is good. Not ‘good for gluten free’ but actually, truly GOOD food that just happens to be gluten free. After some trial and error, I finally developed a gluten free pasta salad that is not just good, but great. It’s a dish that I’d be proud to bring to any gathering and stand by that it’s flavorful and all around delicious.
My favorite part about this pasta salad is that it only requires 5 relatively simple ingredients. Unlike many pasta salads, I recommend serving this the day of, but it held up beautifully on day 2 and even on day 3. When cooking with gluten free pasta, it is always best to eat same day, but I have found some that hold up well over time and so I recommend making and eating this within 3 days for the best taste experience.
And, I have to mention…if you want to just make this with regular, gluten-filled pasta, go right ahead! It’s delicious, no matter how you make it!
What You’ll Need to Make Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
Gluten free elbow pasta. My top choice for this is Barilla pasta. This is not a sponsored post and I receive no compensation for calling out this brand. I just think it’s the closest to ‘regular pasta’ that I’ve tried thus far.
Sundried tomatoes packed in oil. You will need the entire jar of sundried tomatoes AND all of the oil. This adds SO MUCH FLAVOR to the pasta and helps to keep this dish super simple.
Parmesan cheese. Any pasta dish worth it’s salt must include grated parmesan cheese for a salty, flavor boost.
Fresh basil. We have so.much.basil in our garden box so I was thrilled to use a big handful of it in this dish. It really is a must to keep this fresh and light to complement the oil and cheese.
Salt and pepper. Always. You won’t need much salt since we’re using parmesan and sundried tomatoes, but a bit of freshly cracked black pepper is always a good idea to offset the saltiness.
How to Make Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
Gather your ingredients: gluten free elbow pasta, sundried tomatoes packed in oil, grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil, salt and pepper.
Make the gluten free pasta, according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a food processor or blender, chop up the sundried tomatoes and a big handful of basil until they are roughly chopped, but not completely ground into a paste. Save the oil in the jar and set aside.
Pour the pasta into a big bowl. Drizzle on the sundried tomato oil, 1 tablespoon at a time until the pasta is coated. Then, gently mix in the sundried tomato-basil mixture until it’s all combined. The sundried tomatoes will break up and coat the pasta. Yummm.
Next, we’re folding in that parmesan cheese until it’s incorporated, adding more of the sundried tomato oil as needed to loosen things up a bit. I ended up using most of the oil from the jar.
Lastly, taste it! Adjust the salt and pepper seasonings as needed to ensure it’s flavorful and balanced.
