Simple Pasta Salad Recipe – Love and Lemons

This recent, straightforward pasta salad recipe comes collectively in beneath half-hour! Tossed in a tangy French dressing and crammed with veggies, it is a cookout hit.

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

I took additional care to guarantee that this recipe isn’t just straightforward, but additionally straightforward to make in advance… as a result of I completely get that you simply don’t wish to be futzing along with your pasta salad when you could possibly be spending time exterior with your pals.

Word: Should you do determine to make this salad prematurely, toss on some complete basil leaves earlier than serving to make it immediately prettier.

Pasta Salad Components

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

• Fusilli pasta – Or your pasta of alternative! Brief pasta shapes are greatest right here. I like rotini, penne, and farfalle along with fusilli.
• Cherry tomatoes – I really 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 additional inexperienced.
• Feta cheese – For salty, tangy taste.
• Pine nuts – Just like the cucumbers, they add satisfying crunch.
• And recent herbs – Parsley, basil, AND mint pack this salad with recent taste!

Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.

Learn how to Make Pasta Salad

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

1. Cook 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 substances.
4. And toss every part collectively in a giant bowl! Season to style and dig in.

My Finest Pasta Salad Suggestions

• Cook dinner your pasta somewhat longer than regular. It needs to be a tad previous al dente (however not mushy) in order that the pasta stays tender when it cools. I discover that the upper time vary listed on the bundle directions is normally nearly proper for chilly pasta salad.
• Let your pasta cool fully earlier than tossing it with the opposite substances. If it’s nonetheless heat, the recent pasta will begin to cook dinner and wilt the greens. Nobody’s a fan of heat cucumber, so ensure you’re tossing chilly pasta into this dish.
• Style and regulate. Like most salad recipes, this one is tremendous versatile, so you should definitely style and regulate it to your liking earlier than serving. Add extra lemon in case you want 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 improbable as-is, however be at liberty to vary it as much as match your tastes or the substances in your pantry. Listed below are a number of 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 crimson onion.
• Attempt a Caprese combo. Use halved mini mozzarella balls rather than the feta.
• Attempt one other herb. Contemporary oregano can be beautiful rather than the mint on this salad, and thyme would even be an ideal addition.
• Swap out the arugula for spinach, or depart it out altogether in case you want the next pasta: veggie ratio.
• Or roast your chickpeas for additional crunch.

Extra Favourite Summer season Salads

Should you love this pasta salad recipe, attempt one in every of these scrumptious summer time salads subsequent:

Simple Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time: 10 minutes minutes

Complete Time: 30 minutes minutes

Serves 6

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

Cook dinner ModeStop your display from going darkish

• Deliver a massive pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in keeping with the bundle 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, crimson pepper flakes, and salt. (Word: the dressing may have a powerful taste, it’ll mellow as soon as it coats all the pasta salad substances).
• Drain the pasta, toss it with somewhat 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.