Garden Veggie Pasta Salad
This Pasta Salad is one of those staple recipes that's been around for as long as we can remember, and for good reason - it's amazingly delicious! This is the easy shortcut version that uses a bottle of Italian dressing so all you have to do is boil the pasta, chop the veggies and toss everything together.
The Perfect Summer Side Dish
This is a cold pasta salad which means it's perfect for summer. I also love that it can be made up to a day in advance, so if you are planning a summer get together you can check this of the list a day ahead.
And let's not forget the main reason this is perfect for summer - all those colorful garden veggies (and some technically fruit). It's such a great way to use up the abundance of veggies in season from either your garden, the farmers market or the grocery store.
Ingredients You'll Need for this Easy Pasta Salad
- Tri-color rotini
- Bottled Italian dressing
- Parmesan
- Olives
- Red onion
- Baby Carrots
- Broccoli
- Grape tomatoes
- English cucumber
- Yellow bell pepper
How to Make Pasta Salad
First you'll start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil then boil the pasta just to al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water.
Meanwhile while the pasta is cooking, you'll chop up all those crisp colorful veggies.
Then to finish you'll add the well drained noodles, all the veggies and the parmesan to a large mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to evenly coat.
Could it get any easier?? And it's so tasty too! You'll be lucky if you have any left.
Even though it uses a bottle of dressing I'd still consider this one of the best pasta salads. Maybe it's because it's one of those sides that was always there in the summer growing up but it will always be one of my favorites.
What to Serve with this Pasta Salad
This pasta salad goes well with just about anything. You just can't go wrong with a zesty pasta salad.
You can serve it with:
- Grilled Chicken or Steak
- Skillet seared salmon or other fish
- Fried chicken
- Burgers
- Pulled pork or pulled chicken sandwiches
- Chicken salad sandwiches
- Cold turkey sandwiches or warm paninis
More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try
Garden Veggie Pasta Salad
The perfect easy shortcut pasta salad! Loaded with veggies and parmesan and finished off with a zesty dressing. This is a classic, go-to summer side dish.
- 1 (12 oz) box tri-color rotini pasta
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, (halved)
- 1 1/2 cups diced English cucumber
- 1 1/2 cups tiny chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1 cup olives, (sliced)
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced baby carrots
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 1/3 cups bottled Italian salad dressing ((I prefer Kraft with this recipe))
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Cook pasta according to package instructions to al dente but do not season water with salt (the dressing has plenty). Drain an rinse until cold water.
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Pour pasta into a bowl, add tomatoes, broccoli, bell pepper, olives, cucumber, carrots, red onion and parmesan.
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Pour dressing over and toss to evenly coat. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 day). Add a little more dressing if needed.
Do you love cheese? Try adding a heaping cup of small cubed of mozzarella to this recipe.
