You only need 5 ingredients to make this flavorful Tuscan pasta salad. Great for potlucks or to make ahead for the week for lunch or as a side dish to dinner. Made with pasta, creamy Italian dressing, sundried tomatoes, spinach and beans.

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You only need FIVE ingredients to make this flavorful, yet super easy Tuscan pasta salad. A crowd-pleasing side dish.

★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★

This pasta salad is quick and easy yet unique in flavor. It's also rich in vitamins and protein yet is completely vegetarian.

Made with pasta, spinach, sundried tomatoes, beans and Italian dressing.

I'll admit it. I used to grab those pasta salad kits to save time. They were good. Decent. Alright. I even got compliments when I made that stuff, so was like WHY would I ever want to spend extra time making anything homemade? Well, because you get tired of the same old, same old. That's why.

So if you're ready to venture outside your comfort zone and try some new pasta salad recipes that are made from scratch, then this Tuscan-style pasta salad is actually a great place to start.

All you need is 5 ingredients for amazing flavor.

★ Ingredients You'll Need ★

Here's everything you'll need to pull of this super simple yet tasty side dish:

Pasta. I prefer to use rotini or fusili pasta. I like how this shape allows a lot of the dressing to coat each piece. However, feel free to use any kind of pasta you like or change it up each time you make this dish.
Spinach. Frozen spinach works well but you can use fresh too. Be sure to thaw and squeeze away excess liquid if using frozen.
White beans. Soft cannellini beans are ideal. They have a subtle flavor and creamy texture. But feel free to experiment with other types of beans. Butter beans would be good, as well as white navy beans.
Sundried tomatoes. You can find these jarred in oil. I like to add a splash of the oil to help layer in more flavor.
Italian dressing. Use your favorite dressing or if you're not sure, Olive Garden Italian dressing is a great choice. It's a touch creamy and very flavorful.

That's everything! You can add any extras you'd like to this like black olives, carrots, artichokes, or meats and cheeses. But one reason I like this recipe is that it's so simple yet very yummy with just the 5 base ingredients.

★ How to Make this Recipe ★

This Tuscan pasta salad comes together easily in just a few steps.

Here's a look at what you'll do:

Cook and drain pasta.
Thaw and squeeze spinach.
Drain and add beans.
Add sundried tomatoes and a bit of oil.
Toss everything in dressing.
Chill then serve.

Simple as that.

★ Tips & FAQs ★

What classifies this pasta salad as "Tuscan" style food?

Tuscan influences can be pretty loosely defined in the cooking word but you do see a lot of spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, beans and oils. All of which you are getting here in this recipe.

What kind of dressing is best with this pasta salad?

You can actually use any kind of Italian dressing you want. However, I do recommend Olive Garden's Italian dressing.

You can get it at most grocery stores now, including Aldi's, and it's really affordable. I love that it's ever so slightly creamy and not overly vinegary like some Italian dressings. So what you end up with is a creamy pasta salad without having to add any heavy ingredients.

There is no mayonnaise, Greek yogurt or anything you've typically find in the uber creamy pasta salad. It's just a touch and it's just enough. I think. But again, if you have a favorite dressing, you can use what you like.

This Tuscan pasta salad is vegetarian. Can I add meat?

You could add any type of Italian meat though and it would be great! Pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, and ham are all ideas. You can add chunks of cheese as well, if you'd like. Beef this up, so to speak, or don't. Up to you. It's great either way.

Vegetarians are happy when you bring a dish like this to a pot luck without meat because it's something hearty they can eat. You can always split it in half and add meat to one and not the other to cater to your crowd.

★ Tips & FAQs ★

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