Summer Picnic Pasta Salad

Submitted by Kozmic Blues

"This delicious sweet and tangy pasta salad is just bursting with color. It's made with very little mayo, which makes it good for outdoor gatherings. Feel free to substitute 1 cup of any vegetable that you prefer (mushrooms, cucumbers, zucchini, or tomatoes all work well too)"

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 lb tri-colored pasta (I've used shells or spiral shaped)
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1⁄4 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olive
• 1⁄4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1⁄2 cup cubed marinated mozzarella cheese (optional)

• Dressing

• 1⁄4 cup yellow mustard
• 1⁄4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 3⁄4 cup vegetable oil or 3/4 cup canola oil
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Blanch broccoli and asparagus in boiling salted water, and plunge into ice bath to stop cooking.
2. Cook pasta until al dente.
3. Rinse with cold water and drain.
4. Toss pasta with chopped vegetables.
5. Mix first 5 ingredients of dressing, and slowly whisk in oil.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Toss dressing with pasta and vegetables.
8. Chill until ready to serve.

Reviews

[jolenecaruana]

Phenomenal salad!!! We had this as our main dish but would be delicious with BBQ meat. I used regular penne pasta to which I added thinly sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes, celery stalk and green olives. I also added blanched green beans and broccoli. Used brie cheese. For the dressing I reduced sugar to 33g and oil to 87ml. Turned out really well. Thanks for posting.

 

[Megan from Chicago]

I sauteed the vegetables in some of the olive oil. There is no need to add more than a 1/4 cup of sugar. This pasta salad is outstanding. Thank you.

 

[MarieRynr]

I made this today exactly as required in the recipe, using fresh asparagus, broccoli, red peppers and olives. I opted to use mild cheddar cheese, which I cut into small cubes rather than shredding it. I also didn't have any Mozzarella so I didn't use that. I thought the dressing was very reminiscent of honey mustard. I would like to make this again using a larger variety of vegetables. Thanks for posting.

 

[Fluffy]

This salad was very good with a nice colour. I did find it a tiny bit too sweet. It could be just my taste. The next time I make it I will decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup. Thanks