• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Smart In The Kitchen

Dinner is done!

  • Smart Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Gift Cards
  • About
  • Cooking Classes
  • Kitchen School

Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

August 4, 2020 By msmart Leave a Comment

JUMP TO RECIPE
This recipe post is sponsored by Farmhouse Delivery.

Pasta Salad for Lunch and Dinner, Please!

You guys! This pasta salad––full of roasted tomatoes, a zingy oregano vinaigrette and cubed mozzarella––is just what the doctor ordered. I’m literally eating it as I type! Usually, I try not to be too effusive about my recipes, calling things the “best” or “favorite” is not my style. Food is so subjective. But, I think we’ve stumbled upon a serious crowd pleaser here, unless you have a strong aversion to tomatoes or pasta (who are you?!).

I’ve been teaching and cooking veggie-based recipes all summer, and this is no exception. So when Farmhouse Delivery reached out about the opportunity to sponsor a recipe post that would work as both a school day and work-at-home lunch option, I jumped at the chance. Lately, my family has been living off grain and pasta salads for lunch, dinner and afternoon snacks.

Serve this pasta salad on its own or add a scoop to tossed green salad. It’s delicious as a side to roasted chicken or grilled burgers, but I highly suggest you make it on the weekend for busy weekday lunches. If you have access to Farmhouse Delivery, I’d suggest ordering their fresh macaroni, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugula, basil and olive oil. I’ve been a Farmhouse Delivery subscriber for years! We get a small produce box delivered every other week, and it’s easy to put it on hold during vacation. Use the discount code “Smartinthekitchen” or “Smart” if you’d like to subscribe. And for back-to-school, try their lunch bundles and meal kits to make life easier!

School Day Meal Plan

I’ve included a sample school lunch meal plan with ideas to add to your rotation. To be completely honest, school lunches are hard for me! I get frustrated by the fact that everyone wants and likes something different and I’m supposed to keep a running mental tally. I’ve decided to approach lunch like I plan out dinners. I ask my kids if they have a lunch idea for the week, and work in their special request. That way, everyone has a voice and I can fill in the last two days with what sounds good (or easy) to me.

MONDAY

Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes!

TUESDAY

Easy Quesadilla, English Muffin or Bagel Pizzas. These are so fun to make, my son actually starting making them when he was about 10. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your favorite type of tortilla or half of a bagel or English muffin on a sheet pan. Spoon on about 2 tablespoons of sauce and a little shredded cheese. Top with some basil leaves if you’d like. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. On the weekend, cut a bunch of carrot and celery sticks and store in containers in your refrigerator. You can use these all week long as lunch sides, a side of ranch dressing is optional!

WEDNESDAY

Pesto Chicken Salad Pinwheel Sandwiches with a side of fruit. Just layer a tortilla with some greens (spinach leaves or arugula) and a thin layer of chicken salad. If you’d like, add a few slices of avocado or thin slices of tomato. Roll up the tortilla and slice in thin 1-inch slices. Serve with apple slices.

THURSDAY

Mezze platter. This is a great thing to serve if you want to keep flavors separate or set up a “make your own” lunch. I like to set out hummus, cucumber slices, crackers, cubed feta, tomatoes, Green Goddess Dressing and carrots and some berries, watermelon, mango or grapes! My oldest will make a salad of mixed greens and Green Goddess dressing topped with “all the things” and my younger two pick and choose want they want on their plate. The rule in my house is if you don’t like what’s served, make yourself a PB&J! Which, BTW, is another totally acceptable school lunch.

FRIDAY

Pimento cheese sandwiches, because mama’s tired by Friday! This is a fun read on the history of pimento cheese, I remember the first time I tasted it at a baby shower in San Francisco. I was freaking out about how delicious it was and begging for the recipe, and the Southern hostess was cracking up at my excitement!

P.S. If you’d like to join the FREE cooking class I’m teaching thanks to Farmhouse Delivery, click here to sign up! Even if you can’t make it in person, I will share a recording of the class with all registrants. We’ll cover lunch planning, ideas for quick and healthy mid-day meals and I’ll show you all my tips and tricks for making this delicious pasta salad, as well as a few other easy lunch ideas!

Print Recipe

Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

Family-friendly and super delicious, this pasta salad lasts for days in your refrigerator. It’s perfect for workday or school day lunches or as a side to roasted chicken or burgers. Feel free to add diced red or yellow peppers or roasted zucchini to the mix.
Prep Time1 hr
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy lunch, lunch salad, pasta salad, roasted tomatoes, summer pasta salad
Servings: 10 lunch servings

Ingredients

For the Roasted Tomatoes:

  • 3 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher or sea salt

For the Oregano Dressing:

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons red wine, white wine or champagne vinegar
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the Pasta Salad:

  • 14 ounces fresh or dried macaroni
  • 2 cups arugula or spinach leaves
  • 8 ounces mozzarella, cubed
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 pine nuts, toasted (optional)
  • Kosher or sea salt to taste

Instructions

Roasted Tomatoes:

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Add the tomatoes to a sheet pan or baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Shake the pan to coat in oil and apace out the tomatoes. Bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes, until somewhat shriveled and softened, but not fully dehydrated. Set aside to cool. (Note, if your pine nuts are not yet toasted, you can place them in the oven for the last 7-8 minutes, shaking them once or twice for even toasting. Let cool before using.)

Oregano Dressing:

  • Roughly chop the garlic or use a microplaner to grate it. Add it to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, then add salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add oregano and whisk in lemon juice and vinegar. Close the lid and shake the garlic and vinegar mixture well. Set aside to let the garlic marinate in the vinegar for at least 10 minutes. This will soften the garlic's bite and also flavor the vinegar. Add in the oil, cover and shake to combine.

Pasta Salad:

  • In a medium or large mixing bowl, add the cooked and drained pasta and drizzle with about 2-3 tablespoons of the oregano dressing. Toss to combine and cool the pasta if it's still warm. Add the roasted tomatoes and the juices from the pan, cheese and pine nuts if using, and toss gently to combine. Add another 1-2 tablespoons dressing to taste. Finish with chopped greens and basil (or add those just before serving). Refrigerate remaining oregano dressing for green salad or Greek salad.

Notes

Salad can be eaten immediately, but will keep in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Basil and greens may start to oxidize or brown slightly by the 4th day. When I make this for myself, I sometimes add more greens to increase the veggie quotient!

Filed Under: All Recipes, Pasta, Salad Dressings, Salads, Summer, Uncategorised, Vegetable Side Dish Tagged With: easy lunch, lunch ideas, pasta salad, pasta salad recipe, pasta salad with roasted tomatoes, quick lunch, summer pasta salad

Previous Post: « Weekly Meal Plan
Next Post: Cooking Class Schedule »

Reader Interactions

By Category

By Date

Search

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Primary Sidebar

Marcia Smart
Marcia Smart is a cooking instructor, recipe developer and food writer who wants to help you make good, simple meals for your family and friends. She craves food that's seasonal and delicious and wants to share it with you. A California girl living in a Houston world with her husband and three children.

FIND ME HERE

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

FOLLOW ME ON YOUTUBE

Recent Posts

  • Low Effort Dinners
  • Cinco de Mayo Favorites
  • Big Batch Jalapeño Margaritas
  • Weekly Meal Plan // March 27-April 1
  • Weekly Meal Plan // March 20-25

GET SMART IN THE KITCHEN RECIPES AND NEWS

Categories

  • All Recipes
  • Appetizers and Snacks
  • Basics
  • Breakfast and Brunch
  • Casseroles
  • Cocktails
  • Condiments
  • Dairy-Free
  • Dessert
  • Dinner
  • Entertaining
  • Fall
  • Freezer Friendly
  • Friday Love List
  • Gift + Product Guides
  • Gluten-free/Gluten-free adaptable
  • Grain-free
  • Grilling
  • Holidays
  • Instant Pot
  • Kitchen
  • Mains
  • Meat
  • Meatless Mains
  • Mediterranean
  • One-Pot Meals
  • Pasta
  • Poultry
  • Retreats
  • Salad Dressings
  • Salads
  • Sauces and Salsas
  • Seafood
  • Sheet Pan Suppers
  • Slow Cooker
  • Smoothie
  • Soups
  • Spice Mix
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Thanksgiving
  • Travel
  • Uncategorised
  • Vegetable Side Dish
  • Weekly Meal Plans
  • Wellness
  • Whole 30
  • Wine
  • Winter

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • June 2015
  • April 2015

Copyright © 2022 · Smart In The Kitchen