Zesty Cold Pasta Salad
Brighten up your table with this refreshing and vibrant Zesty Cold Pasta Salad, a quick and easy dish packed with Mediterranean-inspired flavors! Featuring tender rotini pasta tossed with juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, crunchy red bell pepper, and briny black olives, this salad is as colorful as it is delicious. A tangy homemade dressing made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a hint of honey ties everything together perfectly, while crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley add creamy and herbaceous notes. Perfectly chilled and ready in just 30 minutes, this make-ahead pasta salad is ideal as a side dish for barbecues, potlucks, or a light, satisfying main course. Bursting with flavor, texture, and freshness, this Zesty Cold Pasta Salad is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup black olives
- 0.5 red onion
- 0.75 cup feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 0.25 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool the pasta completely.
While the pasta cooks, prepare the vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and red bell pepper, slice the olives, and thinly slice the red onion.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, black olives, and red onion. Toss the ingredients to mix evenly.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl or jar. Shake or stir until emulsified.
Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Toss well to ensure everything is evenly coated.
Add the crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley to the pasta salad. Gently mix to incorporate.
Allow the salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld together before serving.
Serve cold and enjoy your Zesty Cold Pasta Salad as a side dish or light main course!
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
274 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 16.4 g | 21% | |
| Saturated Fat | 4.7 g | 23% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.3 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 17 mg | 6% | |
| Sodium | 564 mg | 25% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 26.8 g | 10% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g | 9% | |
| Total Sugars | 5.5 g | ||
| Protein | 7.0 g | 14% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 mcg | 1% | |
| Calcium | 140 mg | 11% | |
| Iron | 2.9 mg | 16% | |
| Potassium | 318 mg | 7% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
