Pasta Salad With Summer Tomatoes, Basil and Olive Oil Recipe (2024)

@Oscar Leyte1/2 teaspoon of salt to dress a pound of pasta is not a lot of salt. The salt in the water adds only a little salt to the pasta as it cooks. And contrary to popular myth, you only need to limit salt intake if you have high blood pressure. Salt does NOT cause high blood pressure, it just aggravates it. So whether your are young or old and have perfect blood pressure you can use all the salt you want.

There are a lot of variations on this one, all of them good! One of my favorites is the Silver Palate's version - they add a pound of brie to the sauce. Decadent...but totally delicious.

Wonderful recipe. Used both capers and olives, increasing total to one half cup. Mashed garlic with salt and anchovies. For crunch, added small-diced red pepper and celery (one large rib) to the marinade. Added feta just before serving. Tasted great the next day, too.

I have a problem with many of these recipes in that they use large amounts of salt, something not so great for us older readers who need to cut down their salt intake. Of course I reduce the amount suggested quite drastically, but is this really needed? Ditto - half a cup of oil for pound of pasta salad. I bet most of it drips into the bowl and is left there after all the salad is served. Otherwise, many of the recipes are wonderful. Thanks

This was delicious, but I added a lot of stuff - corn, scallions, chives, feta, lemon zest, and pine nuts, and I used both capers and olives. I would make this again!

The taste of salt makes me ill. I do not cook with it at all. When recipes call for salt, I skip it, as I did when I made this recipe over the weekend. When entertaining, I tell anyone new that they have to add their own salt. The salad was enjoyed by all. Also, no oil was left in the bottom of the bowl. It is needed to marinate the tomatoes and flavor the pasta. Please don’t criticize a recipe unless you have tried it.

Delicious. Easy to do. Fortunately I have garden tomatoes and basil. Added some fresh parmesan cheese. BTW, it is NOT too salty. Great recipe.

Toss with two cans of chunk light tuna drained, or Italian tuna in oil while adjusting the amount of EVO.My go to quick summer meal when the tomatoes are perfect.

This recipe is a keeper!I made this salad for a large gathering of “down home type” folks yesterday. To accommodate the crowd, I added the sliced olives and skipped the anchovies or capers. I used fusilli, broken up into about 3” lengths so it would be easier for people to eat. The only addition was a topping of small/pearl mozzarella balls.It was a real hit—the flavors marry well and provide a pleasant, overall balance. Another winner!

There was a very similar recipe in Gourmet magazine years ago that added a little red wine vinegar to the tomatoes and capers and, if memory serves, some chopped Kalamata olives. It was a delicious and i'm glad to see this recipe to remind me of it. Will definitely try this!

Wow. I thought it was delicious the day of, but overnight in the fridge, the sauce got thicker and the flavors married. Amazing. Hold it overnight if you can.

@Gene, I’ve had normal BP all my life, but in my 60s, it started to creep up. I decreased my salt intake (as well as to plant based whole foods eating from ovo-lacto vegetarian), and my BP went back down. There is quite a bit of evidence that salt does increase BP even for those with normal BP. For starters: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-evidence-that-salt-raises-blood-pressure/. There’s lots more.

I found the raw garlic to be too bitter and ruined what would have been a delicious pasta salad, I will cook the garlic next time before adding it.

Wow. This was much greater than the sum of the parts! Such a simple but delicious salad, and I didn’t even allow the time (we were hungry) to really sit the tomato mixture or the pasta mixture. It was still delicious. Used both capers and sliced olives, zested in a lemon, and mixed in mozzarella balls after the pasta cooled off. I would chiffonade basil as it was bitter just torn. Will definitely make again!

Made it twice--once with anchovies for my kids, another without for my mom who is a vegan. Upped the garlic amount a bit. Used differently-colored cherry tomatoes (yellow, green and red) and campanelle--looked very appetizing and tasted amazing both times.

Made this exactly per the recipe and YUM! I love pasta and tomatoes so what could be better?

I used olives and added shrimp. Delicious and a meal in itself.

Delicious!!!! I used anchovy paste and added some red wine vinegar. My entire family (including a teenager who rarely gives a compliment) loved it :)

oh so good. added 1-2T pesto that I had in the fridge at the end and this was amazing. maybe better the next day?

I prepare for two persons. Use one cup of rotini. Add both capers, about 2 Tbsp., and one-half cup of sliced Kalamata olives. Use about 4 oz. Basil. Add cubed mozzarella to finish. Delicious. I don’t add salt.

This was so delicious! I added some kale for a green element, a bit more healthy that way. It is important to make sure your pasta is very al dente, or it will get soggy and mushy

Delicious easy recipe!And now the blasphemous variation inspired by the method for marinating tomatoes: exclude capers/anchovies, then mix in corn, fresh mozzarella, and cooked sausage towards the end (or any other fresh summer veggies!). Great substantial dish to feed a crowd

I thought it was ok but my book club loved it so that’s good. I added the olives and capers and anchovies. But I didn’t tell anyone about the anchovies. Not sure why people don’t like them. They’re so tasty. So thumbs up.

DELIGHTFUL! Of course requires beautiful summer tomatoes. Used capers and olives, omitted anchovies.

Finally a great recipe using uncooked fresh tomatoes. It is wonderful. We eat it with the pasta hot and any left-over is a perfect cold the next day. (Blanching the tomatoes to remove skin is not necessary - just squeeze out the seeds and dice the tomatoes). If you can afford pine nuts, they add a special crunch along with a sprinkle of Parmesan. I call this Relaxed Pasta.

Made twice. Once with tortellini and once with fusilli. Both with capers and kalamata. And one shallot. Very nice!!

This is absolutely delicious! Even better the next day. I added both black olives AND capers. My only issue is I wish NYTimes would include a notice above the ingredients that says “Plan Ahead” or “See note below before starting” or something. I decided to make this for dinner, not realizing until I got into it that it needs several hours to marinate. I looked at the ingredients, realized I had everything, and went for it. So it wasn’t nearly as good when I served it as it should have been.

So simple but the long marinating and proper salting is the key. I didn't have the best tomatoes and because it breaks down, I decided to add a pint of halved cherry tomato the last 30 minutes of marinating. After tasting, I wanted more salt and umami but I was afraid my crowd might object if I added the rest of the anchovy can. So I snuck in a teaspoon of Asian Fish Sauce. And I gilded the lily with fresh mozzarella.

This is an excellent recipe. I recommend following the recipe pretty closely so as to maximize on flavor. The second time I made it I added some sliced bell pepper & banana peppers from my garden which added some nice texture. Some diced jalapeño could add a bit of zing too but it’s a great recipe without any additions.

The tomatoes and marinade mixture were fantastic. However, I tried the suggestion of leaving it mixed with the pasta overnight in the fridge, and I would advise against that. I cooked the pasta shy of al dente, but it still had an odd watery, mushy texture from soaking in the marinade all night. Next time I will leave the marinade to get happy overnight (this really helps) but add the pasta closer to serving time. Also, I topped each serving with a drizzle of pesto and that worked well.