All your favorite bruschetta toppings served on top of al dente pasta for an easy summer side. Add your juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and creamy mozzarella to al dente pasta and toss with homemade Italian dressing for a refreshingly light bite any day of the week. And it’s ready in only 25 minutes!

Fresh tomato bruschetta topped with basil on a crisp crostini is one of our all-time favorite appetizers.

At The Produce Moms, we love to add a fresh fruit or veggie twist to classic recipes sothe produce really shines through.

We decided to make this easy little appetizer into a filling side or meal with two easy additions — pasta and Italian dressing. It’s hearty, refreshing, and aromatic, and is sure to please even your pickiest eaters. 

Bruschetta pasta salad is sponsored by NatureSweet®.

While the pasta cooks, you dice the tomatoes, make the homemade Italian dressing, and chop the basil. Then toss it all together for something quick and delicious during the week. Or bring to your next BBQ for a sure-fire hit

Make sure to check out our other delicious pasta salad recipes at the end of this blog. But first, let’s dive into the ingredients you’ll need for your bruschetta pasta salad.

Bruschetta Pasta Salad Ingredients

You only need five ingredients to turn your traditional bruschetta into pasta salad. Fresh tomatoes and basil are the key ingredients when making this bruschetta pasta salad recipe — look for both in the produce section. 

Tomatoes

We diced NatureSweet Cherubs® before adding them to the mixing bowl. Cherubs are perfect for topping salads. They are easy to cut into fourths so the pasta absorbs the sweet juices. This bruschetta pasta salad recipe is all about the tomatoes. So be sure to grab yourself the 16.5 oz package at the grocery store for that classic bruschetta flavor. 

Pasta

Since we decided to focus on a traditional bruschetta flavor in this pasta salad, we didn’t add protein. However, Barilla makes a Protein Plus brand of pasta that we absolutely love. It’s made with lentils, chickpeas, and peas for a protein pasta that makes bruschetta pasta salad a completely rounded-out meal. It cooks the same as traditional pasta, and gives your family 17 grams of protein per serving. That’s a win!

Parmesan

The secret to an amazing pasta salad is using fresh ingredients, including the cheese. Buy fresh parmesan cheese from the deli area or dairy case in your grocery store. Shave it just before adding it to your bruschetta pasta salad.

Just be careful … when parmesan is pre-shredded or shaved, the flavor tends to fade after a few weeks. Fresh parmesan is higher in quality and has a stronger flavor and salty finish. You gotta have it in your pasta salad! 

Basil

Fresh basil is a classic ingredient to top off your bruschetta pasta salad. It’s more mild than dried basil, so we can use more. Chop, or chiffonade, half a cup of fresh basil and use it to top your pasta salad for the last, finishing bruschetta touch.

Italian Bread

What’s bruschetta without some delicious, savory bread? Italian bread is made with olive oil and herbs for a distinct taste and texture. When you add the toasted and cubed bread, it’s like a crouton topping with a satisfying crunch (our kid’s favorite part of any salad). 

How to Make Bruschetta Pasta Salad

Now that you’ve got your bruschetta ingredients, let’s transform them into bruschetta pasta salad!

Step 1: Cook the Barilla pasta.

Boil your pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water for 8-10 minutes until al dente. 

Step 2: Toast and cube the bread.

While the pasta starts to cook, put two pieces of the Italian bread in the toaster and cut it into cubes after it’s toasted. 

Step 3: Chop the basil.

While the bread is toasting, chop your basil with a knife. If you’re feeling fancy and want to try chiffonade, stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them up. Use your knife to cut diagonally for long thin pieces of basil. Set aside for later.

Step 4: Make the Italian dressing.

Add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl or mason jar. We like to dump everything into a mason jar, tighten the lid, and let our kids shake it until it’s mixed. Set the Italian dressing aside.

You can also whisk the ingredients together. Both options will work. 

Step 5: Dice and marinate the tomatoes.

For small, bite- size pieces, use your knife to cut each Cherub in half and then in half again. Add the Italian dressing to the tomatoes in a large bowl. Let the tomatoes marinate in the dressing until the pasta is cooked and cooled. 

Step 6: Give your bruschetta pasta salad a toss.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it in a colander and add it to the large bowl with the tomatoes. Top with the shaved parmesan, chiffoned basil, and crusty Italian bread and serve!

Why We Love NatureSweet®

We love partnering with NatureSweet® for their passion in growing tasty, juicy, fresh tomatoes for you and your family. We especially like their Cherubs® because they’re the #1 selling small tomatoes in the world! And this bruschetta pasta salad recipe really helps them shine. 

Look for the tomato, pepper, and cucumber logo in your local produce section at the grocery store. You want to use a brand that is always Doing What Is Right.

Make sure to try out these other fun pasta salad recipes. Each includes a variety of fresh produce. This collection includes some of our favorites that will have your family coming back for seconds!

More Produce Loving, Pasta Salad Recipes

• Caprese Pasta Salad — classic tomato, basil, and mozzarella served with pasta
• Apple Tortellini Pasta Salad — made with apples, tortellini, red onion, salami, and mozzarella
• Mexican Pasta Salad — traditional Mexican ingredients served in beautiful layers
• Celery and Apple Pasta Salad — crisp, crunchy, and cool for hot days at the baseball field