Quick & Easy Pasta Salad {Vegetarian Recipe}
This Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh veggies, some fresh mozzarella and parmesan, and store-bought Italian dressing (to make things easy)! Perfect side for a bbq or gathering!
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz tri-color rotini pasta (or other dried pasta, such as farfalle or fusilli)
- ½ english cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (a 10 ounce container)
- ⅔ cup red onion, finely diced (about ½ a medium red onion)
- 2 cups broccoli, chopped into small florets (about 1 small head of broccoli)
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used a package of sliced baby bella mushrooms)
- 1 cup black olives, sliced (about 3 ounces)
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated or shredded (about 3 ounces)
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized pieces (or mozzarella pearls, cut in half)
- 1 (16 oz) bottle Italian-style salad dressing (I used Kraft Zesty Italian, and had a spare bottle in case I needed to add more the next day!)
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped (or chopped basil)
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta (in salted water) according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool off. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, add the pasta, and the remaining ingredients, (add the Italian dressing last to pour over the top).
- Stir until well combined. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or up to one day).
Optional:
- When ready to serve, top with additional parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Set out some crushed red pepper, for those who like some added spice!
Video
Notes
Pasta Salad Tips:
- Although this pasta salad will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days, it's best to make the day of or the day before you plan to eat it!
- If it sits in the fridge for too long, the veggies start to soak up all of the dressing. You can just add more dressing if needed.
- If you can't find fresh mozzarella, you can use regular block mozzarella.
- Chop your veggies while waiting for the water to come up to a boil and while pasta cooks! To save even more time...buy pre-sliced or chopped vegetables.