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!
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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.
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Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Nutrition
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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 love the squash and zucchini in this! Yum.
It would be nice to find somewhere it says to PRINT this recipe!!!
The print button is on the top right hand corner of the recipe card, just below the thumbnail image.
How many cups would you say 8 servings is? I will be making this for my daughter’s birthday and want to be sure I have enough. Thank you!
Probably around 1-1.5 cups each, but it depends on the size of your vegetables.
Can you make dressing ahead of time and how long can you store it in refrigerator before using? Making it for my Potluck outing this weekend. Looks wonderful.
Yes, you can make the dressing ahead of time. It should be good in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
I made a few switches to the recipe. I had yellow zucchini, orange cherry tomatoes, green cauliflower, an orange bell pepper and cucumbers. So i put those instead of the written veggies. Oh and had no more red onions so put a white one instead. But i followed the recipe other than that. So good! :)
Absolutely wonderful. Have made it numerous time,
We loved this – the dressing ties it all together. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Just made this – Delicious!
Im a vegetarian – and a hungry one at that, so i added some yves vegetarian salami and shredded mozzarella. Because of that I added a few extra dashes of red wine vinegar to sharpen the flavor.
I love it
This was fantastic! I made a few (small) adjustments. Instead of using 1/2 cup of oil, I used about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the wine/dijon mustard mix and about 2-3 tablespoons in a hot pan. I gently sauteed the veggies and garlic for about 5 minutes – just to get some liquid and heat going on them. As the veggies cooled, I cooked the pasta. After I combined everything, I threw in some shredded parmesan (I bet feta would be awesome too). Oh, and I also used some generic “italian seasoning” dried spices in the vinaigrette – I think I got it at the dollar store (dried basic, oregano, etc.). This is going to taste even better tomorrow! THANK YOU!
This is a delicious recipe! Followed it to a tee & it was a huge hit! Next time I will definitely add either feta or mozzarella. Nothing better than fresh veggies & pasta. The Dijon mustard had a great taste!
This is really good. I left out the tomato, used a fresh red bell pepper instead of roasted red peppers, and added 8 ounces of diced mozzarella. Otherwise I did everything as written. I’m very happy to have made this!
This recipe turned out very very good! I did make some changes though according to our taste buds! I used avocado oil and grape seed oil, I grilled my zucchini and squash, left out the parsley, tomatoes and broccoli (next time I’ll add broccoli), added artichokes, capers and feta. Received two thumbs up from the husband, kids and neighbors!! Paired it with grilled cedar plank salmon and a green salad! Superb!!!!!
Just made this… AWESOME! I made it gluten free by using Ronzoni’s Gluten Free Penne, used a little less onion and added some feta cheese!!!Can’t wait to use my veggies from the garden, only 70 more days!! The joys of living in Maine!
Just made this for this weeks lunches. Sprinkled on a little parmesan, so good!
Just made this today for this week’s lunches. I added some black beans, artichoke hearts, and black olives. SO GOOD and i’m set for the REST of the week! AW YES