Pasta Salad Recipe

Pasta salad is a dish made with one or more varieties of pasta that are typically dressed with vinegar, oil, or mayonnaise. Often, it is offered as a starter, side dish, or even the main course. Although pasta salad is frequently thought of as a dinner for the spring or summer, you can enjoy it all year round. 

It’s simple to prepare this pasta salad recipe. You can prepare this recipe with various seasonal items because it is adaptable to the abundance of seasonal food. Moreover, the entire process should take less than 20 minutes. 

Pasta Salad

Let’s see how you can prepare this dish easily at home.

Ingredients needed

Here is the list of ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.

For pasta salad

• Dried pasta like penne, rotini, fusilli, or farfalle pasta (bow tie) – 1 pound
• Sliced bell pepper – 1 medium or 1 cup
• Finely sliced zucchini – 1/2 medium or 1 cup
• Cherry tomatoes, cut in halves – 1 cup
• Thinly sliced scallions – 5 to 6 or 1/3 cup
• Sliced banana or pepperoncini peppers – 1/4 cup (optional)
• Mixed olives, cut in halves – 1 cup (4 ounces).
• Grated hard cheese or parmesan – 1 cup (2 ounces)
• Chopped fresh mozzarella balls – 1 cup (6 ounces)
• Fresh basil or parsley – 1/3 cup (optional)

For homemade dressing

• Champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar – 1/3 cup
• Fine sea salt – 1/2 teaspoon plus more if needed
• Freshly ground black pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
• Dried oregano – 1/2 teaspoon
• Juice from the pepperoncini jar – 2 to 3 tablespoons (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil – 1/2 cup

Instructions

Let’s see the process for preparing pasta salad.

Step 1

Boil salted water in a large pot. Add pasta and cook for around 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked (check the packaging for the recommended cook time). Drain and thoroughly rinse under cold water. 

Step 2

Take a large mixing bowl and make the dressing at the bottom while making the pasta. Add salt, pepper, pepperoncini juice (if using), red wine vinegar, oregano, and olive oil, and whisk together until well blended. Incorporate the drained and washed pasta with the dressing and then mix properly.

Step 3

Add the olives, scallions, tomatoes, pepperoncini (if using), bell pepper, zucchini, parmesan, mozzarella, and herbs (if using). Taste it for flavor and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Your pasta salad is ready. Serve immediately, or you can cover and freeze it for at least 30 minutes or up to 5 days for the best results.

Conclusion

This tasty, simple pasta salad tossed with a homemade dressing, fresh mozzarella, and crisp veggies is a wonderful side dish. Hopefully, you’ve got a detailed idea of making pasta salad. So try this recipe at home and enjoy a healthy salad.