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If there is a dish I could eat all year long, it’s a vegetable-packed pasta salad. I used to think of pasta salads as summer side dishes, and yes, they certainly are popular for that reason.
When vegetables are at their peak in a season, they tend to find their way into many dishes in my kitchen. I’m looking at you, zucchini and tomatoes. Pasta salads are the ultimate in make-ahead meals that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Garden Pasta Salad
While I love the sound of a “garden pasta salad” and that’s the name I came up with for this one, we are not gardeners over here. I have the blackest of thumbs and have just about given up on even getting mint to flourish. (Not kidding – HOW did I manage to kill mint, the everlasting weed in most gardens?)
So, I’m grateful for the farmers’ market in our little village and for the fresh local and not-so-local produce available in our stores year-round. Right now, my vegetable pasta salads are filled with tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, and bell peppers.
I’ve mentioned before, and it holds true with this salad, that I like a LOT of vegetables in my pasta dishes. If I can manage a 50/50 ratio of vegetables to pasta, that’s perfect for me. And this California spaghetti salad is a guaranteed hit for any summer vegetable lover. It is loaded with so many of our favorite ingredients.
Pasta Salad with Vegetables
However you choose to make your garden pasta salad, the beauty is in the fact that the vegetables for pasta salad are about as versatile as you can imagine. Craving broccoli? Make a broccoli lover’s pasta salad.
This creamy macaroni salad is made with ditalini pasta, broccoli, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, and red onions. It’s the salad I make more than any other in the wintertime. It keeps well for several days in the fridge, and it’s a favorite make-ahead lunch for all of us.
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
As much as I enjoy a creamy pasta salad, they simply don’t hold well for potlucks or other large gatherings where food will be left out a bit longer. That’s where pasta salads with vinaigrette-style dressings really shine.
Pasta salad and Italian dressing are a match made in food heaven. The real magic though, is in the homemade dressing. This one is zesty and flavor-filled, with the perfect amount of tang. If you haven’t made a homemade salad dressing before, this is the place to start.
And because there’s no dairy or mayo in the dressing, this will hold up beautifully at room temperature for any occasion. Whether you’re making this for a party or meal prepping for the week, this vegetable-filled garden pasta salad is a winner.
Garden Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bite-size pasta
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 English cucumber diced into ½-inch pieces, about 2 cups
- 1 small zucchini diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 4 green onions sliced thin
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped small
- 12 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced OPTIONAL
Zesty Italian Dressing:
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Salad Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil along with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, but do not rinse the pasta. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, parsley, and basil. Add the cooled pasta and stir to combine.
- Prepare the dressing and pour about half of it over the pasta and vegetables. Toss well to mix throughout. Add more dressing as desired. Stir again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Dressing Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a pint-size or larger glass jar or bottle. Seal with lid and shake to combine. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
