Bruschetta Pasta Salad with Crunchy Croûtons

Picture this: you're on vacation in Italy. You're sitting in a restaurant, mentally preparing yourself for what feels like ten courses that'll be served soon, even though you'll already be stuffed after the pasta round. The sun's slowly setting, the air's still warm, and there's already that amazing aroma of your appetizer: bruschetta. The most aromatic tomatoes on the crispiest bread with the most delicious hint of garlic. Until you realize you've actually just dozed off for a moment on the balcony, in the garden, or on your picnic blanket, and now you should probably head home to prep for your BBQ evening. What's more natural than getting a bit closer to that dream and impressing everyone at the grill party with a bruschetta pasta salad?

The best of bruschetta...
So today we're literally picking the best parts from bruschetta, and what can I say: there are ONLY good parts on a bruschetta. Every ingredient is important and right and should definitely land in our pasta salad: finely chopped tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, the best olive oil, subtly seasoned with salt and pepper. But wait: the bread! Pasta and bread is one too many? No way! Crispy croutons have never hurt any salad. On top, there are also onions, balsamic vinegar for the dressing, pine nuts as topping, and chili flakes for everyone who likes it a bit spicier.

...combined with your pasta of choice
Short pasta works best for your pasta salad. Penne, fusilli, or farfalle are like classics... but I'd stick my neck out and yawn because they're also juuuust a bit boring pasta varieties. So here are some of my favorites that are still easy to find but aren't the run-of-the-mill version: mezzi rigatoni (the shorter version of classic rigatoni), castellane (they look like they're hugging themselves, aaaw), conchiglie rigate (small shell pasta that become little bathtubs for the chopped tomatoes), and casarecce (like pasta scrolls – could it get any better?!). You can see the latter in the photos too.

Final questions for the salad

1. Can you make the salad the day before? It actually gets even better if it can marinate overnight in the fridge. But you should only add the croutons right before serving so they stay nice and crispy.

2. What if it's not tomato season? On one hand, you could just wait and look forward to it even more. On the other hand, you could also use sun-dried tomatoes OR take fresh tomatoes, chop them small, salt them generously, and let them sit alone for 15 minutes. The salt draws out water and concentrates the tomato flavor.

3. Can you expand or modify the salad? Of course! Gluten-free pasta and bread save you from stomach aches if you have celiac disease. Vegan mozzarella works great in the salad, just like marinated artichokes or a few more olives.

4. Can you eat the pasta salad outside of grill parties? Sì, certo! Every picnic, every lunch break, and every dinner will be happy about it – this salad is meal prep approved. Simply make a big portion on Sunday and spread it over the next 2-3 days.

And what else can come to the grill party?
As delicious as it is – probably nobody wants to survive on pasta salad alone while grilling. So why not also pack our caprese salad, a quick cheesy garlic baguette, and homemade vegan grillable cheese.