Simple Pasta Salad Recipe – Love and Lemons

This contemporary, simple pasta salad recipe comes collectively in underneath half-hour! Tossed in a tangy French dressing and stuffed with veggies, it is a cookout hit.

Right this moment’s recipe is a picnic-perfect pasta salad! Each cookout wants an excellent pasta salad, and that is the one which I make all summer time lengthy. It comes collectively very quickly, it’s stuffed with contemporary components, and it packs a flavorful punch.

I took additional care to make it possible for this recipe isn’t just simple, but additionally simple to make in advance… as a result of I completely get that you simply don’t need to be futzing together with your pasta salad when you would be spending time exterior with your mates.

Word: In case you do resolve to make this salad upfront, toss on some entire basil leaves earlier than serving to make it immediately prettier.

Pasta Salad Substances

This traditional pasta salad recipe is straightforward and contemporary. Right here’s what you’ll must make it:

• Fusilli pasta – Or your pasta of alternative! Quick pasta shapes are greatest right here. I like rotini, penne, and farfalle along with fusilli.
• Cherry tomatoes – I like their candy taste and juicy texture on this salad.
• Cucumbers – For crunch! I like to make use of Persian cucumbers or English cucumber right here. Each have very skinny skins, so there’s no must peel them.
• Chickpeas – They add plant-based protein.
• Arugula – It provides peppery taste and further inexperienced.
• Feta cheese – For salty, tangy taste.
• Pine nuts – Just like the cucumbers, they add satisfying crunch.
• And contemporary herbs – Parsley, basil, AND mint pack this salad with contemporary taste!

Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.

How one can Make Pasta Salad

Making this recipe is a breeze! Simply comply with these easy steps:

1. Prepare dinner your pasta in a big pot of salted boiling water. Drain it, toss it with some olive oil, and set it apart to chill.
2. Chop your cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, mince the parsley, and crumble the feta.
3. Whisk collectively the dressing components.
4. And toss every part collectively in an enormous bowl! Season to style and dig in.

My Finest Pasta Salad Ideas

• Prepare dinner your pasta a bit of longer than regular. It must be a tad previous al dente (however not mushy) in order that the pasta stays smooth when it cools. I discover that the upper time vary listed on the package deal directions is normally nearly proper for chilly pasta salad.
• Let your pasta cool fully earlier than tossing it with the opposite components. If it’s nonetheless heat, the new pasta will begin to cook dinner and wilt the greens. Nobody’s a fan of heat cucumber, so be sure you’re tossing chilly pasta into this dish.
• Style and modify. Like most salad recipes, this one is tremendous versatile, so make sure you style and modify it to your liking earlier than serving. Add extra lemon in case you favor a tangier salad, toss in additional greens in case you’re all concerning the veggies, and all the time, all the time salt to style.

Recipe Variations

This pasta salad is incredible as-is, however be at liberty to vary it as much as match your tastes or the components in your pantry. Listed below are just a few recommendations:

• Make it vegan. Use olives or solar dried tomatoes rather than the feta.
• Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free pasta or quinoa rather than conventional noodles.
• Go Greek. To make this recipe extra of a Greek pasta salad, add 1/2 cup every of kalamata or black olives, diced bell pepper, and thinly sliced purple onion.
• Strive a Caprese combo. Use halved mini mozzarella balls rather than the feta.
• Strive one other herb. Contemporary oregano could be beautiful rather than the mint on this salad, and thyme would even be an excellent addition.
• Swap out the arugula for spinach, or depart it out altogether in case you favor a better pasta: veggie ratio.
• Or roast your chickpeas for additional crunch.

Extra Favourite Summer time Salads

In case you love this pasta salad recipe, strive certainly one of these scrumptious summer time salads subsequent:

Simple Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 10 minutes minutes

Whole Time: 30 minutes minutes

Serves 6

You will love this simple pasta salad recipe! It is an excellent one to make forward – in case you’re bringing it to a picnic, prep it as much as a day upfront.

Prepare dinner ModeStop your display screen from going darkish

• Carry a massive pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta based on the package deal instructions, or till barely previous al dente.
• In the meantime, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, herbes de Provence, purple pepper flakes, and salt. (Word: the dressing may have a powerful taste, it’ll mellow as soon as it coats the entire pasta salad components).
• Drain the pasta, toss it with a bit of olive oil (in order that it doesn’t stick collectively) and let it cool to room temp. Switch to a massive bowl with the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, basil, parsley, mint, and pine nuts. Pour the dressing and toss to coat. Season to style with extra lemon, salt, pepper, and/or a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve.