Description
A bright, herb-forward pasta salad that stands up well at potlucks and is perfect for warm weather.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces short pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove minced garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup torn basil
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in heavily salted water until just al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
- While the pasta cooks, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to create a vinaigrette.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- Toss the hot pasta with the vinaigrette and a splash of reserved pasta water to emulsify.
- Fold in the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and basil.
- Chill the salad in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
For added protein, consider adding grilled chicken or chickpeas. This salad travels well and is perfect for picnics.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg