My Favorite Pasta Salad

One of my favorite things to have in the summer for dinner is a good pasta salad, either as a side dish or doctored up to be a delicious standalone meal.

Written by Jennifer Locke, RD, LDN

The pasta salad recipe below is one that I have played with over the last few summers. One of my favorite things to do with this recipe is experiment with different fresh herbs, cheeses, and whatever fresh vegetables I may have on hand.

The most recent version I made was with fresh dill, however, my favorite version of this recipe is with fresh basil. While I love to use fresh mozzarella, I think it would also be fun to experiment with using goat cheese or feta. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

delicious pasta salad recipe

Summer Pasta Salad

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb pasta (I like to use cavatappi, but use whatever shape pasta you like to use)
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 Yellow bell pepper diced
  • 2 cups Cherry tomatoes halved
  • 8 oz Fresh mozzarella pearls (or cheese of your choosing)
  • 1/4 cup Black olives pitted and halved
  • 1/4 cup green olives pitted and halved (if you don’t like olives these can also be left out or replaced with diced pickles if you so choose!)
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1 can of chickpeas, or other beans of your choosing, rinsed
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (or to taste)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Pepper (to taste)

Alternative Ideas:

  • Sun-dried tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes 
  • Adding artichoke hearts 
  • Adding diced peppadews for a spicy sweetness 
  • Feta or goat cheese 
  • Add a hard salami, pepperoni or other meat of your choosing
  • Trying different herbs, such as dill, parsley, etc. 
  • I use rice wine vinegar, but feel free to use whatever vinegar you may have on hand or whatever you prefer 

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and cool.
  2. In a large bowl, combine orange peppers, yellow peppers, tomatoes, olives and chives.
  3. In a food processor or blender combine basil, rice wine vinegar and olive oil and process until smooth.
  4. Add pasta to the bowl and basil vinaigrette to bowl with vegetables and mix gently to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

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