Ina Garten Pasta Salad Recipe — The Tomato Feta Summer Dish Everyone Loves

The Ina Garten pasta salad recipe is the make-ahead summer dish that has been sitting on Food Network with hundreds of five-star reviews for over 20 years — and for good reason. Two kinds of tomatoes, Kalamata olives, chunks of feta, and a bold sun-dried tomato dressing that gets better the longer it sits. It is not a basic pasta salad. It is the pasta salad that makes people ask for the recipe.

What makes it different from every other pasta salad is Ina Garten’s approach to the dressing. Instead of a vinaigrette poured over cold pasta, she blends sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and capers into an intensely flavored sauce that coats every piece of pasta. The result is a salad that tastes like it has been marinating for hours — even when it has only been sitting for 30 minutes.

Ingredients — Serves 8 to 12

For the pasta and salad

• 1/2 lb fusilli, conchiglie, or orecchiette
• 1 lb ripe fresh tomatoes, medium diced
• 3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella or feta cheese, medium diced (feta gives a sharper flavor)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the sun-dried tomato dressing

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To finish

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, julienned

How to Make the Ina Garten Pasta Salad

Step 1 — Cook and cool the pasta

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil with a splash of olive oil.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
3. Important: let the pasta cool completely at room temperature before assembling. Warm pasta will make the cheese melt and the salad go soggy.

Step 2 — Make the dressing

• Add 5 sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper to a food processor.
• Process until almost smooth — a few small chunks are fine and add texture.

Step 3 — Assemble

• Place cooled pasta in a large bowl. Add fresh tomatoes, Kalamata olives, mozzarella or feta, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
• Pour the dressing over everything. Add Parmesan and fresh basil.
• Toss well until everything is evenly coated.
• Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Ina’s Key Technique — Dress While Warm

One of Ina Garten’s pasta salad tips is to dress the pasta while it is still slightly warm — not hot, but not fully cold either. Warm pasta absorbs the dressing more deeply than cold pasta, which means every piece is fully flavored rather than just coated on the surface. If you are making this ahead, dress the pasta when it has cooled to room temperature and refrigerate everything together.

Make-Ahead Instructions

• Make up to 24 hours ahead: assemble the full salad and refrigerate covered
• Add fresh basil just before serving — it will brown if refrigerated overnight
• Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving — cold dulls the flavors
• Add a drizzle of olive oil and a fresh squeeze of lemon when serving if it has been refrigerated

Variations

• Chicken version: Add 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken for a complete main dish salad.
• Vegetarian protein: Add 1 can of drained chickpeas alongside the pasta for extra protein without meat.
• Lighter dressing: Replace half the olive oil in the dressing with lemon juice for a brighter, less rich version.
• Greek version: Skip the Parmesan and use only feta. Add diced cucumber and red onion for a more Greek-style salad.

For another classic Barefoot Contessa recipe, see our Ina Garten Tomato Sauce Recipe and our Ina Garten Lemon Blueberry Bread. For a light dressing option alongside this salad, the Pioneer Woman Greek Island Dressing works beautifully.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ina Garten Pasta Salad Recipe — The Tomato Feta Summer Dish Everyone Loves

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• Author: SOPHIE
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 to 12 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

The Ina Garten pasta salad recipe is the ultimate make-ahead summer dish with juicy tomatoes, briny olives, feta cheese, and a bold sun-dried tomato dressing that gets better as it sits.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 lb fusilli, conchiglie, or orecchiette
• 1 lb ripe fresh tomatoes, medium diced
• 3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella or feta cheese, medium diced
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

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Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil with a splash of olive oil.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
3. Let the pasta cool completely at room temperature.
4. Add sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper to a food processor.
5. Process until almost smooth.
6. Place cooled pasta in a large bowl.
7. Add fresh tomatoes, Kalamata olives, cheese, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
8. Pour dressing over the salad.
9. Add Parmesan and basil.
10. Toss well to coat evenly.
11. Taste and adjust seasoning.
12. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Dress the pasta while slightly warm for better flavor absorption. Add basil just before serving if making ahead.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: No Cook
• Cuisine: Italian-American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 420
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 650mg
• Fat: 22g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 14g
• Cholesterol: 35mg

Keywords: ina garten pasta salad, tomato feta pasta salad, summer pasta salad, sun-dried tomato dressing