Garden Pasta Salad
A fresh and colorful pasta salad perfect for picnics and gatherings, combining crisp vegetables with a tangy vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 oz rotini pasta or your favorite short pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 0.5 cup red bell pepper diced
- 0.5 cup yellow bell pepper diced
- 0.25 cup red onion finely chopped
- 0.5 cup shredded carrots
- 0.25 cup black olives sliced
- 0.25 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 0.25 cup fresh basil chopped
- 0.33 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 0.5 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp sugar or honey optional, balances acidity
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta with chopped vegetables and herbs.
- Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and honey or sugar to make the dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables, tossing to combine.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.
Notes
For extra flavor, add some crumbled feta or grated Parmesan.