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Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

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Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad makes it hard to resist delicious fresh veggies! Colorful summer vegetables are tossed with pasta and the easiest Italian dressing for a fresh side dish that’s perfect for gatherings.

Summer vegetables and farfelle pasta tossed with an Italian dressing in a white bowl.


Technically we’ve still got a few weeks of Summer left. I know that tons of my gardener friends still are inundated with fresh summer veggies because they have been passing on the surplus to me! I love it!

A vertical photo of a white bowl with summer vegetable pasta salad with a serving spoon.

Today’s summer vegetable pasta salad recipe is great because it’s so versatile. This recipe can be cut in half for a smaller batch, which is handy because it makes a big batch. If you don’t have all of the veggies on hand,  just use what you do have. There’s no end to the combination of garden fresh veggies that go well in this colorful and crunchy veggie pasta salad.

A colander of cooked pasta next to a pile of veggies and 2 packets of Italian dressing mix.

First up, let’s talk about pasta shapes. The best shapes of pasta for pasta salads are the short, fat and/or curly noodles, like farfelle (bowties) , rotini, and campanelle. This is because they are easy to get on your fork and all that yummy dressing gets caught in the nooks and crannies of the pasta.

The shape of your pasta is important, but so is how you cook your pasta. Typically as pasta cools it will get a little tougher and chewier, so it’s okay to cook your noodles just a bit past al dente. You’re also going to want to salt the water more than what you would for a hot pasta dish. The salt will soak in better while the pasta is cooking and will give you a more flavorful salad in the end.

What vegetables to use for summer veggie pasta salad?

For this recipe I have used:

  • cucumber
  • yellow squash
  • bell peppers
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • red onion
  • black and green olives

What other vegetables go well in pasta salads?

  • cherry tomatoes
  • zucchini
  • marinated artichoke hearts
  • carrots
  • radishes
  • peas
  • mushrooms
  • garbanzo beansA wooden cutting board loaded with chopped yellow squash, red bell pepper, cucumber, broccoli, red onion, and cauliflower.

Many people love additions of pepperoni, ham, or cheese too. But honestly, there’s plenty going on in this salad without it.

The dressing for this salad takes like no time to whip together. All you need is 2 packages of zesty Italian dressing seasoning, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and salt. Simply whisk it all together and stir it into the pasta.

Summer vegetables and farfelle pasta tossed with an Italian dressing in a white bowl. A bottle of olive oil and pepper sit to the side.

One of the best things about this easy side dish is that there’s no need to serve immediately. It can be made a day in advance and kept in fridge. However, wait to add the olives right before serving as the black olives can cause discoloration to the pasta.

How long can vegetable pasta salad be kept in the fridge?

Veggie pasta salad stays fresh for 2-3 days. Any longer than that and the vegetables start to lose their crunchy texture and the black olives can discolor the pasta.

Like pasta salads? Here are a couple more that I recommend:

Sriracha Shrimp Pasta Salad

Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad

Summer vegetables and farfelle pasta tossed with an Italian dressing in a white bowl.

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Colorful summer vegetables are tossed with pasta and the easiest Italian dressing for a fresh side dish that's perfect for gatherings.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound farfelle pasta
  • 1 small yellow squash
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 crown broccoli
  • 1 crown cauliflower
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 cup sliced stuffed green olives

For the dressing

  • 2 packets zesty Italian dressing mix
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cool water.
  2. Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, thinly slice the red onion. Cut the rest of the vegetables into bite sized pieces.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the zesty Italian dressing mix, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and salt. Add the pasta and the vegetables and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until completely chilled or overnight. Stir in the black and green olives just before serving.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review or a photo! I'd love to hear your feedback!

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Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad makes it hard to resist delicious fresh veggies! Colorful fresh vegetables are tossed with pasta and the easiest Italian dressing for a fresh side dish that's perfect for gatherings. #summerpastasalad #summerveggie #veggiepastasalad #accidentalhappybaker

Did you make this recipe? Please feel free to leave a comment and review below. Or shoot me an email, I love hearing from my readers and seeing what they have been making on Instagram and Facebook.

Carol

Friday 2nd of July 2021

My sister in Maryland made this salad as part of a homecoming party for her son in the service. She did add artichokes and doubled the recipe. I am in Florida and also made it but used radishes instead of zucchini or yellow squash. Both of our families loved it! Thank you!

Melody Klauser

Monday 26th of April 2021

Can't wait to make this one. We love all the veggies and noodles with zesty itialian dressing.

Jan @ Jan's Family Notebook

Friday 8th of May 2020

This summer vegetable pasta salad looks delicious! It will be great for lunch in the warmer weather. Thanks for the recipe.

Amy D

Friday 8th of May 2020

Thanks Jan! Hope you'll enjoy it!

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