The weather’s warming up, well at least for a bit until the next rain storm blows through. Anyway, the weather’s warming up, the trees are blossoming, and spring is trying to push it’s way through. It’s time for a nice fresh Veggie Pasta Salad! This one’s great because not only can you make it any way you want, but it’s a tasty way to clean out your veggie bin. Truth be told, I do a similar exercise when I make tuna salad, but we’ll cover that another day.
Veggie Pasta Salad is a hearty salad that can stand alone as a main dish and it works well as a nice, bright side dish. As a main dish, you can add all kinds of tasty extras to make it more substantial. If you want to keep it vegetarian, add in some grilled tofu, cheese cubes, and/or avocado. If you want a meatier treat, go for some grilled fish or chicken, canned albacore tuna or chicken, salami, or ham. Again, it’s an easy way to punch up a great dish and use up leftovers.
Here’s how I typically prepare and serve this salad…
Veggie Pasta Salad as listed, plus cubed pepper jack cheese & avocados.
Veggie Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz Rainbow Spiral Rotini
- 1 1/2 cups Broccoli chopped 1/2" pieces
- 1 1/2 cups Cauliflower chopped 1/2" pieces
- 1 cup Carrots chopped 1/2" pieces
- 1 pieces medium Bell Pepper chopped 1/2"
- 6-8 pieces stalks Asparagus chopped 1/2"
- 5.5 oz Black Olives quartered
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 cup Creamy Italian or Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Optional Add-ins
- All of these ingredients are great if they're cubed and canned goods. (except the lettuce and canned goods).
- Cheese (I like pepper jack)
- Avocado
- Grilled tofu
- Grilled fish or chicken
- Canned albacore tuna or chicken
- Salami
- Ham
- Lettuce
- Or anything else you like
Instructions
-
Boil 2 qts of water and cook spiral rotini for approximately 8 minutes or to desired tenderness. Don't overcook or the pasta will break apart when you toss the salad.
-
Strain pasta and rinse in cold water to cool.
-
Chop veggies, about 1/2" in size make a good balance with the pasta.
-
Toss veggies, pasta and parmesan cheese together.
-
If serving immediately, toss with dressing as well.
-
Add in optional mix-ins if you want.
-
Serve as is or over a bed of lettuce.
Recipe Notes
If the salad will not be consume immediately, add the olives and salad dressing when served and store the salad dry in the refrigerator. It will stay fresher longer and it won't get soggy.
Let me know if you make this very versatile Veggie Pasta Salad. I’d love to hear which veggies you used and if you added any optional ingredients. Snap a pic of your creation and share on social with #vegetariant.
Enjoy!
No Comments