Pasta salad recipe
Discover easy and delicious Pasta salad recipes perfect for any occasion! Fresh ingredients, bold flavors, and simple steps for a crowd-pleasing dish.
Ingredients
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 12 oz pasta rotini, penne, or bowtie
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup black olives sliced
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese or mozzarella cubes
- ¼ cup fresh parsley or basil chopped
For the Dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey optional
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
How to Make Pasta Salad
- Preparation of pasta salad includes boiling pasta then performing ingredient cuts while dressing all ingredients together in a delicious sauce. The following method provides you with perfect pasta salad results each time.
Cook the Pasta Just Right
- Heat a large pot with salted water until it reaches boiling temperature. Adding salt creates more enticing flavors in the pasta.
- Make sure to cook the pasta until it reaches the correct al dente texture as per package directions. Properly cooked pasta will maintain its texture throughout the salad preparation.
- After draining the pasta rinse it under cool water to freeze its cooking process while preventing the pieces from sticking together.
Prepare the Ingredients
- After the pasta has cooled down you should chop fresh vegetables into appropriate dimensions.
- Grilled chicken or shrimp protein should be cut into strips to make them mixable within the dish.
- Use feta or mozzarella or parmesan cheese by crumbling or cubing them into appropriate sizes for the salad.
Make the Dressing
- The outstanding dressing serves as the unifying element between all salad components. Whisk together:
- Olive oil for richness
- Use either Dijon mustard or lemon juice to improve the taste depth.
- To create balance in the dressing blend you should mix honey, minced garlic and Italian seasoning.
- For a creamy version, swap vinegar for Greek yogurt or mayonnaise.
Toss Everything Together
- Mix all ingredients to a large bowl after allowing the pasta to cool down along with all other components.
- To finish the dish apply the homemade dressing then mix carefully until all components are adequately coated.
- Additionally you can enhance taste by tossing in fresh herbs alongside olives or nuts.
- A brief refrigerator rest (Let It Chill) provides superior results although it is optional.
- The best taste develops in pasta salad after refrigeration time of thirty minutes to one hour before consumption. The combination of ingredients settles perfectly after dressing contact because the ingredients absorb the dressing well.
- Give the mixture a simple stir after refrigeration then taste it to confirm the seasoning is appropriate. Your pasta salad is prepared for consumption. Following this we will review which complementary dishes best pair with the enchanting recipe.