Perfect Springtime Pasta Salad
A light & great dish for before a run, after a run, or any other time is the Perfect Springtime Pasta Salad! This mix of pasta, veggies, and great seasonings can serve as a great side dish or main dish of it's own. I even enjoy this as a weekly lunch from time to time!
The ingredients list for this may read a bit long, but the good news is you probably have most, if not all of them in your kitchen already!
This dish combines seasoned rotini pasta with
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Purple Onions
- Mozzarella Cheese
After cooking the rotini pasta, I like to season it with a mixture of
- Olive Oil
- Balsalmic Vinegar
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Basil
- Parmesian Cheese
- croutons
For pairings, this dish would work well with a pizza, such as my practically perfect pita pizza recipe, or my veggie lovers pita pizza recipe
Does this have to be served immediately after cooking? Or can this dish be kept & keep warm for a short while to serve after cooking?
This dish is best served after cooking. Otherwise it can be reheated in a microwave in about 30 seconds & be ready to go!
Can any of this be prepped ahead of time? (say, the night before a long run or other type of event)?
The veggies can be diced and roasted ahead of time, then stored and reheated to be added with the rotini pasta
Did you make this dish?
Let me know in the comments how it went!
- 1 Box Rotini Pasta
- 1 Zucchini (diced)
- 1 Package Mushroom (diced)
- 1 Purple Onion (diced)
- 6 tbsp Olive Oil
- 6 tbsp Balsalmic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 3 tbsp Basil (ground)
- .5 cup Parmesian Cheese
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 cup Croutons
- Stock Pot
- Strainer
- Large Bowl (for mixing)
- Dicing Tool (preferred)
- Chefs Knife
- Cutting Board
- Skillet
- Use a dicing tool or chefs knife to dice the mushrooms, zucchini, and purple onions
- Fill the stock pot half full with water and bring water to a boil
- Add pasta to the boiling water and cook for 12 minutes or until pasta is tender
- Pour pasta into strainer and rinse with cold water
- In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, parmesian cheese, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and croutons to create the pasta seasoning
- Add the cooked rotini pasta to the large bowl, and mix with the seasoning
- Add 3 tablespoons to skillet and turn stove top burner onto medium high heat
- Add the diced vegetables (mushroom, zucchini, purple onions) to the skillet and roast for 5 minutes
- In a bowl, combine the seasoned rotini pasta, zucchini, mushroom, and purple onion
- Mix the contents in the bowl and top with mozzarella cheese
- You now have a delicious and perfect springtime pasta salad. Enjoy!
