Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad

Everyone loves a good pasta salad, especially for end of summer BBQs and potlucks. The secret to this pasta salad is the roasted tomatoes. Roasting tomatoes takes some time, but it’s not active time. You can just throw them in the oven and walk away for a couple of hours. The result is so surprising and delicious. The tomatoes sort of melt into the salad dressing, adding their intensely sweet flavor throughout the pasta salad. I really love the combination of salty olives and slightly bitter bell pepper in this recipe, but feel free to change it up. Just make sure to keep those roasted tomatoes.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad

Yield

About 8 servings

Prep Time / Cook Time

10 minutes / 2-3 hours to roast tomatoes, 10 minutes for pasta salad

Activity Guide

Car Camping, Picnic

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup mayo or Vegenaise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound pasta
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• a couple big handfuls of fresh basil

Tools

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Large bowl
• Large pot
• Baking sheet
• Whisk or fork
• Small bowl or jar

Method

1. At home, preheat oven to 225°. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper. Bake for 2-3 hours, or until the tomatoes shrivel a little bit.
2. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse well in cold water and drain.
3. Meanwhile, combine the mayo, salt, black pepper and garlic in a small bowl.
4. Combine the pasta, mayo mixture, roasted tomatoes, olives and bell pepper in a large bowl. Toss well and refrigerate until ready to eat. Garnish with fresh basil.