Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe: A Love Letter to Tomato Season

Summer’s Last Stand: Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe – The first hint of fall swept through my apartment windows yesterday, and I immediately did what any reasonable person would do: I panicked.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Lumina Liu

This Mediterranean pasta salad combines farfalle pasta with mozzarella balls, baby plum tomatoes, fresh basil, green olives, and tuna. It is a great Italian-inspired seafood option for summer events and can be made ahead of time.

4.8 from votes

Prep Time 15 Minutes

Cook Time 10 Minutes

Total Time 55 Minutes

Course Seafood

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 485 calories kcal

Ingredients

 

• 200 g mozzarella balls
• 250 g baby plum tomatoes
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 350 g farfalle
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 40 g Green Olives
• 200 g tuna
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, stir once and cook for about 10 minutes or as directed on the packet.
2. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes and cut into quarters. Slice the olives. Wash the basil.
3. Put the tomatoes into a salad bowl and tear the basil leaves over them. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and mix.
4. When the pasta is ready, drain into a colander and run cold water over it to cool it quickly.
5. Toss the pasta into the salad bowl with the tomatoes and basil.
6. Add the sliced olives, drained mozzarella balls, and chunks of tuna. Mix well and let the salad rest for at least half an hour to allow the flavours to mingle.
7. Sprinkle the pasta with a generous grind of black pepper and drizzle with the remaining olive oil just before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 485.00 caloriesFat: 22.00 gCarbohydrates: 45.00 gCholesterol: 45.00 mgFiber: 3.00 gProtein: 28.00 gSaturated Fat: 7.00 g

Keyword Mediterranean pasta salad, Italian seafood pasta, cold pasta salad, tuna pasta salad, summer pasta recipe

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Not because I’m not ready for cozy sweaters and pumpkin everything (though I’m not, not really), but because I suddenly realized I hadn’t properly said goodbye to summer.

There was no farewell party for the tomatoes, no final salute to basil in all its leafy glory. So I did what I always do in moments of seasonal transition anxiety—I headed to the kitchen.

The Mediterranean on a Plate

There’s something about a Mediterranean pasta salad that feels like capturing sunshine in a bowl.

It’s the culinary equivalent of those vacation photos you flip through in January when you can’t remember what warmth feels like.

This particular recipe came to me years ago during a summer when my air conditioning broke for two weeks straight (a story my husband wishes I would stop telling at dinner parties), and turning on the stove for more than ten minutes seemed like a personal affront to my sweaty existence.

What I love about this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe is that it requires minimal cooking—just enough to boil the pasta—and then becomes an assembly of the Mediterranean’s greatest hits: juicy tomatoes, briny olives, creamy mozzarella, and enough basil to make your kitchen smell like an Italian grandmother’s garden.

It’s summer distilled into a meal that can be eaten at room temperature, straight from the fridge, or packed for a picnic that you planned spontaneously because the weather app promised one last perfect day.

The Art of Simple Ingredients

When making a Mediterranean pasta salad, the quality of ingredients matters tremendously.

Not in a precious, food-snob way, but in a practical “these few ingredients need to carry the whole dish” way. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 350g farfalle (bow-tie pasta, though any short pasta works)
• 250g baby plum tomatoes (the sweetest you can find)
• 200g mozzarella balls (the little ones that come packed in water)
• 200g tuna (oil-packed gives the best flavor)
• 40g green olives (I like them with pits for better flavor, but I won’t judge if you prefer the convenience of pitted)
• 1 bunch fresh basil (the more the merrier)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff here)
• Salt and pepper to taste

I’ve made this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe with fancy imported Italian ingredients, and I’ve made it with whatever my corner bodega had in stock during a rainstorm.

Both versions were delicious—the fancy one slightly more so, but not enough to justify the transatlantic flight to get the “authentic” olive oil my food-writer friend insists is the only acceptable kind.

A Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe That Forgives Your Shortcuts

Let me walk you through this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe, which is so forgiving it will still taste delightful even if you forget an ingredient (as I did the first three times I made it):

Step 1: Pasta Perfection

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and please—I’m begging you—salt it generously. Not a shy pinch, but a proper handful that makes you momentarily question your life choices. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself.

Add your farfalle, give it a quick stir so it doesn’t form a pasta clump of doom, and cook according to package directions, usually about 10 minutes. You want it just past al dente for a pasta salad—not mushy, but not with too much bite either.

Step 2: Prep Your Mediterranean Bounty

While the pasta does its thing, quarter those baby plum tomatoes.

There’s something meditative about this task, especially if you’re using a properly sharp knife that slides through their skin without squishing their insides all over your cutting board (a lesson I learned the hard way with my neglected knife collection).

Slice your olives—or leave them whole if you’re feeling particularly Mediterranean. Wash your basil and gently pat it dry, treating it like the precious herb it is.

Step 3: The First Flavor Infusion

Now here’s my little secret for Mediterranean pasta salad greatness: Put your quartered tomatoes in a salad bowl, tear some of the basil leaves over them, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and let them get acquainted while the pasta finishes cooking.

This little head start allows the tomatoes to release some of their juices and the basil to infuse the oil.

Step 4: The Cold Shower

When your pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander and immediately run cold water over it.

Yes, I know pasta purists are clutching their pearls right now, but for pasta salad, you want to stop the cooking process quickly.

This also removes some of the starch, which helps prevent your Mediterranean pasta salad from becoming one giant pasta blob by dinner time.

Step 5: The Grand Assembly

Toss your cooled pasta into the bowl with those tomatoes and basil that have been getting friendly. Add your sliced olives, drained mozzarella balls, and chunks of tuna.

Mix everything gently—pasta salad isn’t a stress-relief exercise; it’s more of a thoughtful folding situation.

Step 6: The Waiting Game

This is the hardest part: let your Mediterranean pasta salad rest for at least 30 minutes.

I know it looks ready to eat, and you’re probably hungry after all this cooking and thinking about cooking, but trust me—this resting time allows all those Mediterranean flavors to mingle and get to know each other.

It’s like the difference between introducing strangers at a party and revisiting friends who have known each other for years.

Step 7: The Final Touch

Just before serving your Mediterranean pasta salad, add a generous grind of black pepper and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. This final touch brings everything back to life and adds a fresh layer of flavor.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad: Variations on a Theme

Part of what makes this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe so perfect for real life is its adaptability. Here are some variations that I’ve tried when my pantry wasn’t cooperating with the original plan:

The Vegetarian Version

Skip the tuna and add a can of drained chickpeas instead. They bring protein and a pleasant nuttiness that works beautifully with the other Mediterranean ingredients.

The Herb Enthusiast

If your herb garden is threatening to take over your yard (I should be so lucky), add some fresh mint and parsley along with the basil. The bright, clean flavors will make this Mediterranean pasta salad taste even more vibrant.

The “I Have Leftover Roasted Vegetables” Remix

Roasted red peppers, zucchini, or eggplant make wonderful additions to this salad. Just chop them into bite-sized pieces and toss them in.

The “It’s Winter But I’m Pretending It’s Summer” Adaptation

When good tomatoes are nowhere to be found, use halved cherry tomatoes (they’re usually decent year-round) and add a tablespoon of sun-dried tomato paste to the dressing for that concentrated summer flavor.

Why This Mediterranean Pasta Salad Works Every Time

I’ve made this Mediterranean pasta salad for last-minute dinner guests who texted from the subway, for picnics where it sat in questionable sunshine for longer than food safety guidelines would recommend, and for solo lunches eaten over the kitchen sink while on deadline.

The magic of this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe lies in its simplicity and the way these few ingredients—pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, tuna, olives, basil, and good olive oil—manage to be so much more than the sum of their parts.

It’s not trying to be fancy or innovative; it’s just trying to be delicious in that straightforward, satisfying way that makes you want to eat an entire bowlful while standing in front of the open refrigerator.

So as summer slips away and the markets transition from tomatoes to squash, make this Mediterranean pasta salad one last time.

Consider it your personal farewell party to the season—no sweaty guests required, just a bowl of pasta that tastes like August sunshine.