Simple Vegetable Pasta Salad – Super Made!

When summer comes, nothing is better than a pasta salad, especially when it’s filled with fresh vegetables! This healthy pasta salad makes for a nice meal and is also popular for pool parties, family dinners and backyard barbecue.

For the perfect summer grill, I like to serve this dish with grilled chicken or grilled pork chops, as well as grilled vegetables like grilled eggplant with garlic or grilled cauliflower. It’s perfect for batch making, so you can serve a healthy lunch all week!

You need to make a healthier pasta salad

To bring this dish to life, you will need the following key ingredients:

• Whole wheat pasta: I like to use medium pasta shapes like small penne or fusilli in this recipe. You can exchange any type of pasta, including alternative pasta, such as pasta made with chickpeas or lentils.
• vegetable: You will need cherry tomatoes, broccoli, yellow or orange chili, Persian cucumber and chickpeas. This recipe works with almost all the vegetables you like or on hand, so feel free to exchange your favorites.
• Herbs: We use fresh basil and fresh parsley to enhance the rest of the ingredients and add a lot of delicious flavor. Coriander, dill and chives were delicious too.
• Feta cheese: I love the rich flavor that feta brings to this dish! If you are not a fan, you can use it for goat cheese or mozzarella.
• Lemon juice: The acidity in this ingredient brightens all flavors in our pasta salads. If you like, you can swap it for red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar!
• Italian seasoning: This is my go-to spice mix that can be added to my salad seasoning. It adds a perfect savory flavor while complementing our fresh ingredients.

Can I use store-bought dressings for pasta salads?

certainly. While I like to make it myself because it is easier and more cost-effective, you can use any store-bought Italian dressing you like.

Recipe changes

Here are some of my favorite ways to change this dish:

• Add protein: Try to bulk this dish by adding your favorite protein source, such as grilled chicken, steak or shrimp.
• Add a green base: To further lighten this dish, try reducing the amount of pasta and making the bottom a combination of pasta and vegetables (such as arugula or chopped spinach).
• Switch spices: Looking for different flavor characteristics? Omit the Italian seasoning and swap it for your favorite spice combination. You can also change the herbs to supplement your choice of spices.
• Roasted Vegetables: For fun twists and deeper flavors, try roasted tomatoes, broccoli and Bell peppers. Make sure to let them cool before adding them to the pasta salad. Or you can make a roasted vegetable pasta salad!
• Add onion: Chopping some red onions and adding a little bite to the salad.
• Make it vegan: You can easily make vegans by replacing the feta cheese with your favorite vegan alternative or missing the cheese altogether.
• Replace cheese: If you want to swap feta, try goat cheese, parmesan, cheese cheese or chopped Italian cheese mixture.
• Make it creamy: If you prefer a creamy salad seasoning, just swap the yogurt or mayonnaise for the olive oil in the recipe. This will make the delicious creamy seasoning work with the pasta salad. You can also try this creamy Greek seasoning.

Tips in advance

Want to make this dish in advance? Here are some of my main tips:

• Dressing: You can get dressed one week in advance. Once the ingredients are mixed, place the salad seasoning in a jar or glass bottle until you are ready to use it.
• Pasta: Pasta salad can be prepared several hours in advance until the night before. This comes in particular if you plan to host an event and want to limit your preparation time during the day.
• Vegetables: Vegetables and chickpeas can be prepared 12 hours in advance and stored in a separate container in the refrigerator until ready to put the dishes together.
• Herbs: Save some fresh herbs and lemon wedges. It makes the pasta salad even more beautiful when you are ready to eat.

The best way to serve vegetarian pasta salads

Here are some simple dishes that can be paired with your pasta salad:

How to store vegetable pasta salad

This is the best way to store pasta salads, so it stays fresh:

• Storage: The best way to store pasta salad is to transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. I don’t recommend frozen because pasta tends to become mushy.
• Leftovers: Turn the remaining vegetarian pasta salad into cheesy pasta bake. Simply mix it with a small amount of chopped cheese and your choice of cooked protein such as chicken, sausage or beans. Sprinkle it on a baking dish with more cheese on top and bake at 375°F for about 20-25 minutes until hot and bubble. If it looks dry, stir a small amount of soup, cream or tomato sauce before baking.