Straightforward Pasta Salad Recipe – Love and Lemons

This contemporary, simple pasta salad recipe comes collectively in below 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 a fantastic pasta salad, and that is the one which I make all summer season lengthy. It comes collectively very quickly, it’s stuffed with contemporary elements, and it packs a flavorful punch.

I took additional care to be sure that this recipe isn’t just simple, but in addition simple to make in advance… as a result of I completely get that you just don’t need to be futzing along with your pasta salad when you could possibly be spending time outdoors with your folks.

Notice: For those who do resolve to make this salad upfront, toss on some entire basil leaves earlier than serving to make it immediately prettier.

Pasta Salad Elements

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

• Fusilli pasta – Or your pasta of selection! Brief pasta shapes are finest 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 additional 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 whole recipe with measurements under.

Learn how to Make Pasta Salad

Making this recipe is a breeze! Simply comply with 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 elements.
4. And toss every part collectively in an enormous bowl! Season to style and dig in.

My Finest Pasta Salad Suggestions

• Cook dinner your pasta slightly 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 package deal directions is often nearly proper for chilly pasta salad.
• Let your pasta cool utterly earlier than tossing it with the opposite elements. 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 be sure to’re tossing chilly pasta into this dish.
• Style and modify. Like most salad recipes, this one is tremendous versatile, so you’ll want to style and modify it to your liking earlier than serving. Add extra lemon should you favor a tangier salad, toss in additional greens should you’re all in regards to the veggies, and at all times, at all times salt to style.

Recipe Variations

This pasta salad is implausible as-is, however be happy to alter it as much as match your tastes or the elements in your pantry. Listed below are a number of ideas:

• 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.
• Attempt a Caprese combo. Use halved mini mozzarella balls rather than the feta.
• Attempt one other herb. Recent oregano could be beautiful rather than the mint on this salad, and thyme would even be a fantastic addition.
• Swap out the arugula for spinach, or depart it out altogether should you favor a better pasta: veggie ratio.
• Or roast your chickpeas for additional crunch.

Extra Favourite Summer season Salads

For those who love this pasta salad recipe, attempt one in every of these scrumptious summer season salads subsequent:

Straightforward Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time: 10 minutes minutes

Whole Time: 30 minutes minutes

Serves 6

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

Cook dinner ModeForestall your display 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. (Notice: the dressing could have a powerful taste, it’ll mellow as soon as it coats the entire pasta salad elements).
• Drain the pasta, toss it with slightly 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.