This balsamic pasta salad is super easy to throw together because it features jarred ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers. It is popping with briny and zesty flavor and it comes together in just about 30 minutes!
I really struggled to come up with a name for this pasta salad because it is a lot of things. Just like my couscous salad, it's tangy from a simple balsamic vinaigrette. But it's not a classic veggie pasta salad because instead of freshly chopped vegetables it features marinated vegetables.
Roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and sundried tomatoes pack a huge punch of tangy, briny flavor that you just don't find in most pasta salads.
Everything is tossed in my go-to balsamic vinaigrette for an extra layer of tangy and zesty flavor. This salad is great for packed lunches or gatherings!
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Recipe features
- Filled with tangy, briny, and acidic flavors balanced out by crisp cucumber, bowtie pasta, and French green lentils.
- Quick & easy: Ready in just about 30 minutes with very minimal chopping required. This pasta salad only requires a few minutes of active time to make!
- Veggie-packed: Cucumber is the only fresh vegetable in this pasta salad, but we're also using marinated artichokes and roasted red peppers.
- Balanced: This pasta salad features plant-based protein, carbs, veggies, and healthy fats, making it a great lunch option.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I prefer short pasta shapes like bowtie or penne for pasta salads. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta to make this recipe gluten-free.
- French green lentils: I like to use these lentils in pasta salads because they hold their shape well, but regular brown or green lentils also work. Canned lentils are a good time-saving option.
- Roasted red pepper: Choose roasted red pepper strips.
- Artichoke hearts: Choose quartered marinated artichoke hearts. While canned artichoke hearts work, the marinated kind are much more flavorful.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I use julienned sun-dried tomatoes from a bag, but sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil also work.
- Kalamata olives: Feel free to omit these if you don't like olives. Choose pitted, sliced olives.
- Balsamic vinegar and olive oil: Because these two ingredients contribute a lot of flavor, I recommend choosing a "good" olive oil and balsamic if you are able. They don't have to be the most expensive, but I don't recommend choosing the least expensive ones either.
Step by step instructions
This balsamic pasta salad is downright simple. Cook the pasta and lentils, and while those cook prep the cucumber and parsley.
Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain off the water and toss the pasta with olive oil. This step ensures that the pasta pieces don't stick to each other.
Add the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pasta salad. It's okay if some of the marinade or packing oil from the veggies gets added to the salad.
Toss to combine. Add a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
Cassidy's tips
- For chilled pasta salads, I always recommend dressing the salad with half of the vinaigrette before chilling and adding the remaining vinaigrette just before serving.
- For a completely chilled pasta salad, either prep the pasta and lentils in advance or cover the pasta salad and let it chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- For more flavorful lentils, cook them in vegetable broth in place of water.
- If you're not a fan of lentils or are short on time, add a can of chickpeas or white beans instead.
- For extra protein, try adding the balsamic tofu from this tofu rice bake.
How to make ahead
- Cook the lentils up to 2-3 days in advance. Rinse under cool running water, then transfer to a closed container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cook the pasta up to 24 hours in advance. Toss with olive oil before covering and refrigerating.
- Assemble the pasta salad up to 24 hours in advance, omitting the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Chill until ready to use. Toss with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice before serving.
Looking for similar recipes?
Have leftover artichoke hearts? They also go well in this quinoa artichoke salad.
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Recipe
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Balsamic Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta
- ½ cup dry French lentils see note #1
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup roughly chopped marinated and quartered artichoke hearts
- ½ cup roasted red pepper strips diced
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- ½ large cucumber diced into quarters
- ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives pit removed
- 4 ounce block of feta crumbled
- ¼ cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from one lemon
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon honey
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook bowtie pasta in well salted water until al dente. Once cooked, add drained pasta to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, cook the lentils. Combine lentils, water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain off excess water.
- To make the balsamic vinaigrette: I use a bullet blender, but you can also add the ingredients to a jar and shake. To the jar add: ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon honey. Shake or blend well and adjust to taste.
- To the pasta add the drained lentils, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, cucumber, olives, crumbled feta, and parsley.
- Toss to combine. Drizzle with half of the balsamic vinegar, tossing to combine again. Add freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest, to taste.
- Enjoy as a warm salad, or cover and transfer to the fridge to chill for 2 hours before serving. Before serving, drizzle with remaining balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Notes
- Lentils: Green or brown lentils also work. I don't recommend using orange or red lentils.
- Chop size: The original recipe doesn't require much chopping, but the recipe was updated May 2025 with recommendations to roughly chop or dice the vegetables. This step is optional but helps the veggies to better distribute throughout the salad. The recipe photos still reflect the original recipe version.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: This is my go-to balsamic recipe. The original version of this recipe just including ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar instead of an entire vinaigrette. This new version makes the salad heartier and adds extra flavor.
- Make ahead option: Lentils can be cooked up to 3 days in advance and pasta can be cooked and tossed with oil up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble the pasta salad up to 24 hours in advance, omitting the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Chill until ready to use. Toss with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice before serving.
- Leftovers: Keep refrigerated and enjoy within 3-4 days. Drizzle with remaining balsamic vinaigrette before serving.
Nutrition
This recipe was updated May 2025. The ingredients remain the same, but the balsamic vinaigrette has changed slightly.
Lisa says
Sorry but this was not a winner for us. I made a larger amount for a pot luck & brought a lot of it home. First, it not only was too vinegary but the fact that balsamic is brown gave it a bad appearance. Maybe a white balsamic would be a better suggestion? I need to make changes if I make this again. I spent too much money on the ingredients to not have people eat it. I was disappointed. 😔
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out! I agree that white balsamic would be a good idea if you find the color off putting. As for the vinegary flavor, if you were to make it again I would up the honey a bit to balance that out. I personally like the high acidity of this salad, but I see how that may not be for everyone!