As soon as the warm weather of summer rolls around all I want to eat are crunchy vegetables and cold pasta salad. This Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad is my go-to with a medley of colorful vegetables, a tangy homemade vinaigrette, and plenty of ways to customize it based on what I have on hand, or what I’m craving that day. Plus it holds up great in the fridge, so it’s perfect for meal prep!
Perfect for Potlucks
This classic vegetable pasta salad is absolutely perfect for potlucks because it makes a huge batch and it goes with everything. Not to mention it holds up well to travel and is still super delicious after it’s been sitting on that picnic table for a bit. ;)
Vegetable Options
I used fresh broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and parsley, plus threw in some roasted red peppers for fun. But you can add so many different vegetables to this mix. Here are a few more options:
- Cauliflower
- Fresh bell pepper
- Black olives
- Asparagus (steamed or grilled)
- Chopped spinach
- Artichokes
Other Add-ins
In addition to swapping out some of the vegetables, you can experiment with adding other ingredients to this salad to either add more flavor or make it into a full meal. Here are a few ideas:
- Grilled chicken (Yogurt Marinated Chicken or Garlic Marinated Chicken)
- Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Parmesan cheese
- Toasted pita bread
- Feta cheese
- Salami
- Mozzarella cubes or pearls
Dressing Options
The recipe below includes a really basic tangy vinaigrette, but if you don’t have a well stocked pantry and want to buy a bottled dressing for this salad, any basic Italian dressing will do well. You could also choose something like a Caesar dressing (not creamy-style) or a Greek vinaigrette.
Love summer salad recipes? Then you’ve got to try our Creamy Cucumber Salad! It’s cool, refreshing, and the perfect recipe to cool down during the hot summer months!
Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
Servings 8 1.5 cups eachIngredients
Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil ($1.28)
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar ($0.53)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Salad
- 12 oz. bowtie pasta ($0.79)
- 2 Roma tomatoes ($0.63)
- 1 yellow squash ($0.75)
- 1 zucchini ($0.85)
- 1 broccoli crown ($1.07)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.19)
- 1 12oz. jar roasted red peppers ($1.99)
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley ($0.35)
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette first. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- Cook the bowtie pasta according to the package directions (boil 7-10 minutes or until tender), then drain in a colander. Rinse briefly to cool the pasta, then let it drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking and draining, prepare the vegetables. Chop the tomatoes, squash, zucchini, broccoli, and parsley. Slice the roasted red peppers (drained) and the red onion.
- Place the pasta and chopped vegetables in the largest bowl you have. Give the vinaigrette a brief whisk, then pour it over the salad. Stir the pasta and vegetables until everything is coated in dressing. Give it a taste and add salt or pepper, if needed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad – Step By Step Photos
Make the dressing first. Whisk together ½ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 clove of minced garlic, ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Cook 12oz. bowtie pasta (or other short shaped pasta) according to the package directions (boil until tender, drain in a colander). Give the pasta a quick rise to cool it off, then let it drain well.
While the pasta is cooking and draining, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Chop two Roma tomatoes, one yellow squash, one zucchini, and drain and slice one jar of roasted red peppers.
Chop one crown of broccoli into small bite-sized florets and slice ½ of a red onion. Roughly chop ½ cup parsley (not pictured).
When the pasta is cool and drained and all the vegetables chopped, it’s time to assemble the salad. Place everything in the largest bowl or container you have, give the vinaigrette a quick whisk, then pour it over the pasta and vegetables.
Stir until everything is really well coated in dressing. Give it a taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Make sure to give it a stir after refrigerating and just before serving to redistribute the dressing.
I have to say, I’ve tried a few of your recipes and I’ve loved them all. Well done with your site. This is my go-to when I’m trying to decide what to make for dinner.
Wow! This looks really great. Glad I discovered your site. Can’t wait to try your recipes! :)
I made this for a BBQ with my downstairs neighbors. I actually made the salad the day before and liked the dressing so much that I doubled it and I used it as a marinade for kabobs. The salad and the kabobs were great! :)
Hi Beth – I made a variation of this (based on what I had) that was a big hit at a sailor’s pot luck. I made a double batch and squeezed a couple more lunches out of the leftovers. Thanks for the idea.
sail fast and eat well, dave
S/V Auspicious
I am making a version of this tonight. I bought yellow, red, and orange peppers to put in it. Wish I had bought some cucumbers though.
I love all of the great and colorful veggies in this! Sounds like a winning pasta salad to me =)
This looks delicious and the perfect for those hot days that you really just don’t want to turn on your oven. Thanks for sharing.
Mmm, lovely salad you ate!
I love checking in on your blog daily to see what fun new thing you have posted! This pasta salad looks delish. The only thing I found a little strange is that the zucchini and yellow squash are included raw…I find raw zucchini and squash to have a very bitter and off-putting taste. Probably not as noticeable covered in yummy vinaigrette though! The cool thing about this recipe though is that you could substitute any veggie you like and that is in season. Keep up the awesome work
Jen
So lovely and colorful. I too drop the broccoli into boiling pasta water as prefer a bit of cooking first. I prefer vinegrettes over the mayonaise-y pasta salads also. I like to sprinkle very finely grated parmesan-romano cheese onto the salad and stir in. This kind of binds the liquid to the pasta and vegetables. Only reason I buy that pulverized Kraft cheese in the shakers is for this purpose.
Lovely budget conscious pasta salad! Cookin’ Canuck and I would love if you linked up this recipe & any 2 other side dishes in this weeks Get Grillin’ event posted on both of our blogs.
I’ve been craving veggie-pasta salad lately, too! I love the bowties — totally an underrated pasta, right? This is great, thanks so much: I might have to add this to the list of dishes I’m bringing to a potluck picnic I’m throwing next week.
this looks absolutely delicious and perfect for an outdoor party or picnic. DEFINITELY giving this a try. I can tell I will love it. Thanks!
Holly – as a matter of fact, I like broccoli almost exclusively cooked too! In the end I decided to be dangerous and just throw it in there raw but here is what I was originally going to do: During the last 3 or 4 minutes of the pasta cooking, throw the chopped broccoli in with the boiling pasta. Then just drain it all at the same time. This will lightly cook the broccoli but the rest of the veggies will still be nice and crisp. I hope it works out for you!
Would it work to use some cooked veggies in this? I ask because there are some veggies (like broccoli) that I only like cooked!