Addictive Crack Pasta Salad
A vibrant, crowd-pleasing pasta salad filled with colorful vegetables and tangy dressing, perfect for any gathering.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz short pasta (rotini or farfalle)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped (soaked 10 minutes)
- 1 cup bell pepper (red or yellow), chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing (no added sugar preferred)
- 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic
- Optional: Fresh herbs (dill or parsley)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your short pasta and follow the package instructions until it’s al dente. Make sure not to overcook it—nobody likes mushy pasta! Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down.
- Prepare the veggies: While your pasta is cooling, chop your veggies. Halve those cherry tomatoes, dice your cucumber, and finely chop the red onion. Soaking the onions in water for about 10 minutes removes some of that strong flavor.
- Mix it up: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped tomatoes, diced cucumber, drained red onion, and chopped bell pepper.
- Add the flavors: Add in those black olives and pour the Italian dressing over the top. Toss everything together gently but thoroughly, making sure the dressing coats all the ingredients evenly.
- Taste and adjust: Taste your pasta salad and adjust with more dressing, salt, or pepper if needed.
- Chill out: Cover your bowl and let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Before serving, give the pasta salad a good stir and garnish with fresh herbs if using.
Notes
This pasta salad is perfect for meal prep and can be made a day ahead. Enjoy it as a side dish or a main course!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: pasta salad, summer salad, picnic, vegetarian, easy recipes, party food
Find it online: https://sweetladle.com/crack-pasta-salad-15-minute-meal-prep/