Olga's Flavor Factory

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Ebook
  • Olga's Tips
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Ebook
  • Olga's Tips
  • olgasflavorfactory@gmail.com
  • //instagram.com/olgasflavorfactory
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Ebook
  • Olga's Tips
  • olgasflavorfactory@gmail.com
  • //instagram.com/olgasflavorfactory
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
×
Home » Recipe Index » Salads

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Published: Sep 1, 2015 · Modified: Nov 13, 2024 by Olga · This post may contain affiliate links

Jump to Recipe

Vegetable Pasta Salad-1-11Lunches can be quite a predicament. Hardly anyone has the time to actually prepare a lunch unless it's a sandwich or something as equally boring and predictable. There's nothing wrong with a "good ol' sammich", but it's nice to have a bit more interesting options too. Pasta salads are perfect and this one in particular is something I'm so happy to share with you all.

First of all, how great is it to make something in advance and not have to worry about it at lunchtime? It will last up to a week in the refrigerator and taste just as fresh as the day you made it. I couldn't believe it myself until I had a bowl a week after I made it. It's surprising how fresh it tastes.

It doesn't take long to make this salad either. In the amount of time that it takes to cook the pasta, you can have all your veggies prepped, mix it all together and VOILA - Приятного апетита (Russian: Bon Apetit)!

I chose to use vegetables that pair really well together as well as stay fresh for a long time. The cute bow tie pasta is so charming, I bet your kids would love it in their lunch boxes too. 

Ingredients:

8 oz bowtie pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

½ red bell pepper, julienned

1 small zucchini, about 8 oz, sliced

1 corn cob, corn cut off the cob, approximately ¾ - 1 cup

1 small shallot, sliced

salt, ground black pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Vinaigrette:

¼ cup olive oil

1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

½ Tablespoon dry herbs (such as Italian seasoning or chicken seasoning)

Instructions:

Vegetable Pasta Salad-1-12Cook the pasta until it's is cooked the way you like to eat it. Drain it and immediately wash it with cold water or put it quickly in an ice bath, just to stop the cooking process. Drain the pasta from the cold water and place it into a large bowl.

Vegetable Pasta Salad-4While the pasta is cooking, I usually prep the veggies. Vegetable Pasta Salad-2Yes, you can use canned corn instead of fresh corn, but it will not be as sweet and crunchy. You can also use regular tomatoes and chop them, but the salad will not stay fresh very long. It's just fine if you serve it right away.

You can also add some cooked chicken to the salad.

Add the veggies to the same bowl with the pasta and mix to combine.

Vegetable Pasta Salad-5Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Vegetable Pasta Salad-3Pour into the pasta and mix to combine. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

Vegetable Pasta Salad-1-13You can eat the salad immediately, but the flavors will be a lot more concentrated if you let the salad stand in the refrigerator for a few hours. At this point, you might want to add more oil, vinegar, spices, etc. Serve the salad cold or at room temperature.

If you don't eat the salad within a few hours, I always like to freshen it up with a bit more olive oil, red wine vinegar and dry herbs. Since the pasta will absorb the vinaigrette as it stands, it's best to add more later so it doesn't taste too dry.Vegetable Pasta Salad-1-11

Pasta Vegetable Salad

Olga Klyuchits
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Total Time 23 minutes mins
Course Sides
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz bowtie pasta
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • ½ red bell pepper julienned
  • 1 small zucchini about 8 oz, sliced
  • 1 corn cob corn cut off the cob, approximately ¾ - 1 cup
  • 1 small shallot sliced
  • salt ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced
  • Vinaigrette:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • ½ Tablespoon dry herbs such as Italian seasoning or chicken seasoning

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta until it's is cooked the way you like to eat it. Drain it and immediately wash it with cold water or put it quickly in an ice bath, just to stop the cooking process. Drain the pasta from the cold water and place it into a large bowl.
  • While the pasta is cooking, I usually prep the veggies.
  • Add the veggies to the same bowl with the pasta and mix to combine.
  • Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  • Pour into the pasta and mix to combine. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
  • You can eat the salad immediately, but the flavors will be a lot more concentrated if you let the salad stand in the refrigerator for a few hours. At this point, you might want to add more oil, vinegar, spices, etc. Serve the salad cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Yes, you can use canned corn instead of fresh corn, but it will not be as sweet and crunchy. You can also use regular tomatoes and chop them, but the salad will not stay fresh very long. It's just fine if you serve it right away.
You can also add some cooked chicken to the salad.
If you don't eat the salad within a few hours, I always like to freshen it up with a bit more olive oil, red wine vinegar and dry herbs. Since the pasta will absorb the vinaigrette as it stands, it's best to add more later so it doesn't taste too dry.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

More Salads

  • Citrus Fruit Salad
  • Orange Salad
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad
  • Layered Tuna Salad (Mimosa Salad)

Comments

  1. Olga T says

    September 01, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    Thanks for the suggestion. I was just wondering what I should make for lunch for next few days when I go to work, and for kids to take to school possibly. It's like you read my mind 🙂 I'll be going to the store after work to get what I need and make it tonight. Can't wait to have some! Just wanted to let you know that your website is my go-to website for 95% of what I cook at home. I love your recipes and always look forward to seeing new things you come up with 🙂

    Reply
    • Olga T says

      September 01, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      By the way, do you have any other ideas instead of bell pepper what I could put in there? My girls don't like bell pepper for some reason, and I'm wondering what I could put in there instead, and hope it'll taste good too 🙂

      Reply
      • olgak7 says

        September 01, 2015 at 9:37 pm

        Blanched broccoli or cauliflower, cucumber, ham, cubes of cheese, salami, raisins, craisins, avocado. You can just omit the peppers and not add anything else too:). I hope that helps, Olga.

        Reply
    • olgak7 says

      September 01, 2015 at 9:39 pm

      That's so sweet of you, Olga. I am so happy that you are such a loyal reader. Thank you.

      Reply
      • olga m says

        October 16, 2015 at 12:04 am

        hi, olga. should the corn be raw in this salad. If yes, how does the raw corn taste? is it tasty?

        Reply
        • olgak7 says

          October 16, 2015 at 12:16 am

          I use raw corn, but you can use canned corn or cooked corn. Fresh corn tastes great! It's very sweet, juicy and has an amazing crunchy texture.

          Reply
          • olga says

            October 19, 2015 at 2:34 pm

            thank you for a quick reply. I didnt get used to eating cold pasta so i warmed it up and mu hubby loved it so much

          • olgak7 says

            October 22, 2015 at 3:48 pm

            I'm glad you enjoyed it, Olga. Thanks for taking the time to write.

          • olga says

            October 19, 2015 at 2:36 pm

            thank you

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Olga in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hello. I’m Olga, the creator and photographer of the recipes that you see here. Welcome to my online kitchen, where I share step by step recipes and kitchen tips, to make homemade cooking easier, practical, and of course, more flavorful.

More about me

Get Weekly Menu Ideas, Recipes, Kitchen Hacks:

Join thousands of others to get my best cooking and meal prep tips plus handpicked seasonal menu ideas in your email.

Olga's Flavor Factory ebooks bundle
Olga's Ebooks
Olga's Flavor Factory family 2024
Life/Family

Popular

  • Honey Garlic Glazed Meatballs
  • Limoncello Cake
  • Easy Homemade Bread Recipe
  • Ultimate Steelhead Trout Recipe (VIDEO)

Seasonal

  • Healthy Cabbage Salad
  • Fish and Vegetables En Papillote (Fish in Parchment)
  • Borscht - Борщ
  • Orange Salad

Footer

↑ back to top

The Home Cook's Handbook

A Practical Kitchen Resource Guide

Learn more
Buy now

Get Weekly Menu Ideas, Recipes, Kitchen Hacks:

Join thousands of others to get my best cooking and meal prep tips plus handpicked seasonal menu ideas in your email.

About

  • About
  • Starting A Blog
  • FAQ
  • Olga’s Tips
  • Shop

Social Links

  • Instagram
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Olga's Flavor Factory