This quick and easy Bruschetta Pasta has pasta tossed with a fresh and flavorful no-cook sauce made of tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. And it's ready in less than 30 minutes!
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Bruschetta - the classic Italian appetizer of toasted bread with a delicious tomato and basil topping - is one of my favorite things to enjoy in the summer when the cherry tomatoes and basil are in abundance and at their peak of deliciousness.
That topping is so simple yet so good, you've got to figure that all of those ingredients would be just as good on pasta and perfect for dinner or lunch on a hot day when you really don't feel like being in the kitchen cooking for very long.
Yep, it is just as good...and the only thing you have to cook is the pasta, which doesn't take much time at all.
Make the light and summery raw tomato "sauce" while you're waiting for the water to boil and for the pasta to cook. Then, once the pasta is done, just mix the two together, top each serving with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Fun fact: In Italian cuisine, "bruschetta" (pronounced like bru-sket-uh) actually just refers to toasted or grilled bread rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. The additional toppings are optional.
So, yeah. Since there's no bread in this recipe, that would technically make it bruschetta topping pasta. But no one's going to call it that.
Want to remedy that little inconsistency? Just do what I do. Grab some bread and make some real-deal bruschetta toasts to serve on the side!
Ingredients You Need
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Farfalle pasta (aka bowtie pasta)
- Cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes; quartered)
- Fresh basil (torn or chopped)
- Onion (finely chopped; I like to use a sweet onion, such as Vidalia)
- Fresh garlic (minced)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (regular olive oil can also be used, but extra-virgin will give you more flavor)
- Balsamic vinegar
- Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded/grated)
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Bruschetta Pasta
This is a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package directions; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until well combined; set aside.
Return the hot pasta to the pot and add the tomato mixture; toss until well-combined. Adjust seasoning, if needed.
Serve immediately. Top each serving with parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- The key to getting this recipe on the table in less than 30 minutes is to prep the ingredients for and make the tomato mixture while you are waiting for the pasta water to boil and for the pasta to cook.
- Start as soon as you put the pasta water on to boil so you can let the mixture sit and marinate for a few minutes while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Be sure to generously salt your pasta cooking water so that your pasta tastes good (not salty, just good).
- You can either tear the basil into pieces or you can chop it with a knife. I prefer to tear it because I find that using a knife often causes the cut edges to discolor and turn black much more quickly.
- This pasta is best when made and served fresh!
Substitutions & Variations
- I prefer to use a shorter-cut pasta like farfalle for this recipe, but you can also use longer pasta, such as spaghetti if you prefer. You can use just about any pasta shape that you like or have on hand.
- If you only have larger tomatoes, you can chop them up and use them instead of cherry or grape tomatoes. If there are a lot of seeds, you can remove some or all of them before chopping. Aim for about 3¾ cups of chopped tomatoes.
- For a more complete meal, you could add some protein, such as cooked chicken, shrimp or chickpeas when you are tossing everything together (or you can put them on top).
- Love cheese? Stir in some cubed fresh mozzarella or some of those cute little pearls of mozzarella right before serving for a caprese-style pasta.
- Add some crushed red pepper flakes to the tomato mixture for some spicy heat.
Leftover Storage & Reheating
Store leftover bruschetta pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Although it can last a little longer than that (up to 3 or 4 days), the tomatoes can get pretty soft and soggy and become much less appealing the longer it sits.
Reheat leftover pasta with a little bit of olive oil in a skillet on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently, just until warmed through (you don't want to cook those tomatoes too much).
Leftovers are also delicious eaten cold as a bruschetta pasta salad. Mix in little bit of olive oil to loosen things up, if needed. Add some fresh mozzarella to turn it into a caprese-style pasta salad.
Serving Suggestions
As mentioned, I like to serve this with some bruschetta toasts on the side. Just toast or grill some bread slices (I use a nice crusty ciabatta bread), rub one side with a garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You could also do garlic bread or slices of Italian bread slathered with butter.
A nice green salad, such as my Italian Tossed Salad, is also a great side.
You could also serve this pasta as a side dish instead of a main dish. It would be delicious alongside chicken, pork, steak, or fish/seafood.
I hope you try this Bruschetta Pasta recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Meatless Pasta Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Bruschetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta
- 1½ pounds cherry tomatoes, quartered (or grape tomatoes)
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion, I like to use a sweet onion, such as Vidalia
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup torn fresh basil, about ½-inch pieces
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until well combined; set aside.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to the hot pot.
- Add the tomato mixture to the pasta in the pot; toss until well combined. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve immediately, topping each serving with 2 tablespoons of the shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Important Note Before You Start: The key to getting this recipe on the table in under 30 minutes is to prep the ingredients for and make the tomato mixture while you are waiting for the pasta water to boil and for the pasta to cook.
- Even though the prep time and cook time add up to 32 minutes, the total time for this recipe is shown as 22 minutes because the prep is done during the cook time. The cook time may vary slightly depending on the brand of pasta that you use.
- The estimated calories shown are based on 4 generous servings. For 6 smaller servings, the estimated calories would be 400 per serving.
- Please refer to the post for additional information and tips, step-by-step photos, and information on substitutions and variations, storing and reheating leftovers, and serving suggestions.
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