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Home » Recipes » Pasta Salads

Published: Jul 29, 2020 · Modified: May 28, 2022 by Jacqui

Pasta Salad Crudaiola Barese


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A Southern Italian Summer Pasta Salad.

It's summer in Italy and even here in the north where I live, the temperatures can get up to 40 degrees celsius! So, it's pasta salad time! This pasta salad crudaiola Barese, also called pasta alla crudaiola, is an incredibly versatile and healthy dish. You can eat it as a one-plate light meal, as part of a cold buffet or at a picnic. 

pasta salad crudaiola Barese

A patriotic pasta salad!

Pasta salad crudaiola Barese is super simple. It’s a white, red and green dish, which for me are the ubiquitous colours of Italian cuisine. Italians call these colours ‘il tricolore’ because they are, in fact, the colours of the Italian flag. There are other dishes that make use of these colours. Think Caprese salad! Patriotic cooking!

pasta salad crudaiola barese

This pasta salad recipe comes from Bari in Puglia. It is made with fresh cherry tomatoes, a clove or 2 of garlic, fresh basil, a sprinkling of hard ricotta called Marzotica (or ricotta salata) and lots of extra virgin olive oil.

ingredients for crudaiola Barese on white plate

There are many types of pasta that go well in crudaiola Barese. Italians usually make pasta salad with short pasta. I have found recipes for this dish with the most popular and traditional pasta in Puglia such as orecchiette, sedani and cavatelli.   I used sedani rigati.

cut tomatoes in white bowl with basil, olive oil and garlic

Crudaiola Barese is best kept simple.

One could almost call this a ‘non-recipe’ because  it is so easy to do. Apparently, in Bari, pasta alla crudaiola is a very common and popular dish. However, I have read that some chefs and restaurants now vary the ingredients slightly, perhaps to make it look or sound more elegant or sophisticated. Personally, I love the simple original recipe.

cooked sedani pasta in white bowl with marinated tomatoes

Of course, the local ingredients used in Puglia; such as the type of olive oil, hard ricotta and tomatoes, give this dish a particular flavour which is difficult to produce exactly unless you have those actual ingredients.

pasta salad crudaiola Barese

However, I have made this recipe with the tomatoes, olive oil and hard ricotta which I can buy here in the north and the result is divine! Some years, I'm able to use my homegrown cherry tomatoes and basil which makes this dish really special! If you can't find hard ricotta or ricotta salata, you can also make pasta salad crudaiola Barese with aged feta!

I think the most important thing is that the ingredients are of good quality, fresh and, if possible, organic.

Pasta Salad Crudaiola Barese

Whichever cheese you chose, I’m sure you’ll love this simple tasty pasta salad crudaiola Barese. If you give it a try, do let me know how it turns out, either by commenting below or on the Pasta Project Facebook page. And if you feel it’s worth sharing with friends please do.

All your feedback and support is much appreciated!

Buon Appetito

Other pasta salad recipes to enjoy

  1. Casarecce pasta caponata recipe from Sicily
  2. Tuna and pesto malloreddus from Sardinia
  3. Italian shrimp and asparagus farfalle
  4. Green pasta salad with edible flowers

Save this recipe for later?

If you want to save this recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.

Pasta Salad Crudaiola Barese

This recipe was originally published in 2017 but it has been updated.

pasta salad crudaiola Barese

Pasta Salad Crudaiola Barese

Jacqui
A super simple but tasty traditional pasta salad recipe from Bari, Puglia. Crudaiola Barese is perfect as a side dish or light summer meal.
5 from 29 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian, Puglia, Southern Italian
Servings 4
Calories 444 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 350 g Sedani rigati or Orecchiette (12oz) I used sedani rigati from Valle del Grano
  • 12-15 cherry tomatoes
  • 6-8 basil leaves
  • 250 g Marzotica ricotta or cacioricotta (9oz) hard ricotta from Southern Italy or ricotta salata
  • 1 garlic clove peeled
  • Extra virgin olive oil as required
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper. to taste

Instructions
 

2 hours before cooking

  • Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into small pieces.
  • Peel the clove of garlic and chop it well. (some people omit the garlic and others keep it whole and remove it before serving the pasta)
  • Put the tomatoes, garlic and some of the basil in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and a good amount of olive oil.
  • Add a good amount of grated ricotta on top but don’t mix it with the tomatoes.
  • Seal the bowl with cling film and leave it in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Finish the dish

  • Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet.
  • Remove the tomato mixture from the fridge and take out the basil leaves which will have become soft and replace them with chopped fresh ones.
  • Drain the pasta well, let it cool for a minute and add it to the tomato mixture.
  • Add more grated ricotta, a dash of olive oil, ground pepper if required, mix well and serve.
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Notes

If you serve this crudaiola barese dish immediately it will be slightly warm. If you prefer it colder put it in the fridge for a while before serving.
You can use other types of short tubular pasta in this recipe, such as penne.

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 19gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 377mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 559IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 2mg
Keyword authentic Italian pasta recipe, crudaiola, Italian food, no cook sauce, pasta salad, traditional italian dish
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Pasta alla Peperonata (sweet pepper sauce)
  • Mediterranean pasta in a bowl
    Mediterranean Pasta Recipe
  • Italian cold spaghetti salad with shrimp.
    Italian Cold Spaghetti Salad with Shrimp
  • Trofie pasta with rocket pesto.
    Trofie Pasta with Rocket Pesto Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 29 votes (21 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. GUNJAN C Dudani says

    August 16, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    Pasta anything and anytime is always welcome in my family. Its our comfort food. This recipe is on my to do list for lunch tomorrow.

    Reply
  2. Aditi Bahl says

    August 15, 2020 at 2:20 pm

    I tried this recipe and it came out just lovely. The flavors were new for our palate but everyone just love it. Saved it to my regular recipe pins too.

    Reply
  3. Ramona says

    August 15, 2020 at 10:09 am

    This Crudaiola Barese pasta looks super flavoursome and delicous! I love making pasta for my family and they love them to. The combinations in this pasta make me drool. This recipe would be a perfect way to try something new for both me and my family! I cant wait to try it out, thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
  4. Kushigalu says

    August 15, 2020 at 9:51 am

    This pasta salad looks so colorful and refreshing. I am pasta lover and can have it anytime of the day. I will soon try this version

    Reply
  5. Uma Srinivas says

    August 15, 2020 at 8:02 am

    Pasta salad looks so simple and delicious. Perfect as side dish! I love this kind of simple and light meal 🙂

    Reply
  6. Amy Liu Dong says

    August 13, 2020 at 12:51 pm

    To be honest, pasta dish is my favorite thing. We can never go wrong with pasta, if I may say. This recipe looks really awesome and gives you the feeling of wanting it every time.

    Reply
  7. Kay says

    August 13, 2020 at 10:45 am

    This pasta recipe looks great, love the Italian colours, we love using basil in our recipes and it always goes well with pasta dishes
    Will have to try this out very soon
    Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  8. veenaazmanov says

    August 12, 2020 at 6:02 am

    Simple to make and combinations yum. Love to have it any day for Dinner. My happy meal option too.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 12, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      I agree Veena! This pasta salad is the perfect happy meal!

      Reply
  9. Emanuela says

    September 18, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    I came to your blog and I liked it

    Reply
  10. Antoinette Sammut says

    June 11, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    I came across your blog and would love to follow-up ....thks

    Reply
    • admin says

      June 11, 2017 at 7:22 pm

      Dear Antoinette, thank you for your comment. I am really happy that you would love to follow my blog. I have added you to our newsletter subscribers list. I write a newsletter once every couple of weeks or so to keep subscribers updated about new recipes and posts on The Pasta Project. If you haven't already you can also follow the Pasta Project page on Facebook so that you will get notifications of new posts through Facebook as well. I usually try to post 2-3 recipes or articles about different types of pasta every week, sometimes more. Please do share recipes or posts that you like, and I'm always happy to hear how the recipes you try turn out. All the best Jacqui.

      Reply
  11. Doris Borg says

    June 05, 2017 at 6:20 am

    Good morning! My family are lovers of pasta dishes. I'll be following your blog with great interest.
    I love cooking too! I do a similar pasta salad, but here in Malta I use the local dry 'gbejna' (goat's cheeselet).

    Reply
    • admin says

      June 05, 2017 at 2:09 pm

      Hello Doris, I am very happy that you like my blog. I hope that you'll find lots of recipes here for your pasta loving family to enjoy. I try to add 2-3 recipes a week, but of course sometimes that's not possible. However, do please keep coming back as the number of posts and recipes will grow as I continue my journey through the wonderful world of Italian pasta! Pasta salad with 'gbejna' sounds delicious. I am not Maltese but I lived in Malta for many years and know and love your goat's cheese! If you do make any of my recipes, please feel free to let me have your comments and post photos on my facebook page. All the best. Jacqui

      Reply

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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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