This pasta salad recipe is a great demonstration of how fast, easy, and versatile pasta salads are. They’re awesome to have on hand for quick meals throughout the week.
So what are you waiting for? Read on this article of Apronese to see how to make pasta salad.
Pasta Salad Swaps and Add-ins
Here are some other ingredients to swap or add-in to make your salad delicious:
- Proteins: diced or shredded chicken, pepperoni, deli meat, hard-boiled egg, beans (chickpeas, cannellini beans, kidney beans), tempeh.
- Nuts: pepitas, sunflower seeds, cashews, pine nuts.
- Cheese: goat cheese, Parmesan (shredded or grated), blue cheese.
- Vegetables: roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, spinach, finely chopped kale, bell peppers, red onion, cauliflower (fresh or roasted).
- Alternate dressings: champagne vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette, Caesar (non-creamy variety), Tomato Basil Vinaigrette.
Prepare Your Meal
One of the best things when making these pasta salads is that they hold up so well in the refrigerator. Even when you’ve added fresh baby spinach, they won’t get wilted.
The broccoli in this version of the pasta salad is also delicious.
If you’re looking for more refrigerator salads, try the Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad, Italian Orzo Salad, Kale, White Bean, and Pesto Salad, or Spinach, Chickpea, and Quinoa Salad.
How to Make Pasta Salad
This pasta salad recipe is easy, versatile, and never boring.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 10 mins / Cook Time: 10 mins / Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 3 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 oz. pasta (any shape) ($0.50)
- 1 broccoli crown (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.91)
- 2.25 oz. can sliced olives ($1.50)
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes ($1.07)
- 2 oz. crumbled feta ($1.00)
- 1/3 cup Italian Dressing ($0.47)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain in a colander, then rinse briefly under cool water to bring the temperature down. Let the pasta drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking, finely chop the broccoli, drain the olives, and roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Once the pasta is well drained, add it to a large bowl along with the chopped broccoli, drained olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and crumbled feta. Pour the Italian dressing over top and stir until everything is combined and coated in dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 511.47 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 72.83 g ・ Protein: 16.93 g ・ Fat: 19.43 g ・ Sodium: 1029.43 mg ・ Fiber: 8 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make a Pasta Salad – Step-by-Step Photos
Step 1: Cook 8 oz. pasta according to the package directions, then drain it in a colander, and rinse it briefly with cool water. Let the pasta drain well.
While the pasta is cooking, finely chop one crown of broccoli (about 1/2 lb.), drain a 2.25oz. can of sliced olives, roughly chop about 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, and crumble 2 oz. feta.
Once drained, add the pasta to a big bowl with the broccoli, olives, tomatoes, and feta.
Step 2: I used a store-bought salad dressing this time, which is Girard’s or Ken’s Steak House because they both tend to have pretty good flavor without being outrageously priced.
Step 3: Add about 1/3 cup salad dressing to the pasta salad ingredients.
Step 4: Stir until everything is combined and coated in dressing. And that’s it!
Eat now or refrigerate for later.
That’s all for my pasta salad recipe. What is your favorite pasta salad combo? Leave a comment below to share your recipes with us!
