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Tri Color Pasta Salad
Prep Time
10
minutes
mins
Cook Time
10
minutes
mins
Total Time
20
minutes
mins
Course:
Salad
Cuisine:
American
Servings:
4
servings
Ingredients
▢
½
cup
olive oil
▢
¼
cup
red wine vinegar
▢
2
teaspoons
dried Italian seasoning
▢
½
teaspoon
granulated sugar
▢
1
clove
garlic
-
minced
▢
½
teaspoon
kosher salt
▢
¼
teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
▢
For the pasta salad:
▢
¼
medium red onion
-
finely chopped
▢
8
ounces
dried short pasta
-
such as rotini
▢
8
ounces
cherry tomatoes
-
halved
▢
1
English cucumber, small
-
quartered lengthwise, then thinly sliced
▢
4
ounces
fresh mozzarella
-
drained and chopped
▢
fresh parsley leaves
-
coarsely chopped
Instructions
Mix up the dressing first and add the diced red onions to the dressing.
Cook the pasta for 12 min in boiling heavily salted water. Prepare vegetables.
After draining, dunk the strainer of pasta in an ice bath (equal parts ice and water in a large bowl) and get it cold fast!
Mix all the ingredients together and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes
Notes
Protein
: To be sure this salad is great on it's own. However, add some grilled chicken to make it a meal.
Cheese:
Crumble so feta on top for a great flavor boost.
Olives:
Feel free to add some olives, chickpeas or roasted red peppers to make this salad even better.
Variation tip:
Use a gluten free or protein pasta to make it healthier.
Alternate ingredients:
Roasted vegetables added to this salad are fabulous. For example: broccoli, zucchini or squash.
Pepperoni
: Italian Meats such as pepperoni, salami, pancetta are a great topper or even crumbled bacon.