This zesty pasta salad, topped with homemade vinaigrette dressing, can be eaten as either a side dish or as an entrée. The beauty of this salad is that it can include just about any ingredient — such as carrots, celery, chicken and artichoke hearts — other than the ones listed in this recipe. Tortellini can even be substituted for the pasta to make heartier fare.
This recipe for Zesty Vegetable Pasta Salad makes enough to fill a medium-sized bowl, and serves about six people, if eaten as the main part of a meal. It is also a simple pasta salad recipe to prepare, and can be stored in the fridge for a few days in an airtight Tupperware container or covered with cling wrap. One tip: Add the vinaigrette dressing to the salad just before serving it for the best flavour.
Ingredients for Zesty Vegetable Pasta Salad
- 2 cups of pasta (either penne, rotini, macaroni or bow-tie pasta)
- 1 red pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
- ¾ cup of button mushrooms, sliced
- ½ of a large English cucumber, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- ½ cup of sliced chorizo sausage, with slices then cut in half
- ¼ cup of green pimento-stuffed olives (or black olives)
- ¼ cup of cubed cheddar cheese
- Vegetable seasoning
- Dash of extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients for Homemade Vinaigrette
- 4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 12 Tbs malt vinegar
- Pinch of salt
- Dash of black pepper
How to Make Zesty Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Fill half a large pot with water and bring it to a boil on high heat. Add the pasta to the water, lower the burner to medium-high heat, and cook the pasta for 15-20 minutes (until it’s done), stirring occasionally.
- Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and run the pasta under cold water to cool.
- Add the dash of extra virgin olive oil to a frying pan and turn the burner onto high heat. When the oil is hot (check by throwing in a piece of pepper. If it sizzles, it’s ready), add the red peppers and mushrooms.
- Stir the red peppers and mushrooms until they are coated in the oil, and add vegetable seasoning. Stir the peppers and mushrooms to ensure they’re evenly coated with seasoning. Sautee the lot for about two minutes – the peppers and mushrooms shouldn’t be very soft.
- Set the pan aside to cool down the peppers and mushrooms.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the cooked pasta, the cooled mushrooms and red peppers, and the remaining ingredients. Add a dash of vegetable seasoning, and stir to mix all the ingredients.
- Next is the Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing. To prepare, add all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix them thoroughly. Add the dressing to the Zesty Vegetable Pasta Salad just prior to serving.
Zesty Vegetable Pasta Salad is a healthful meal that can be packed into Tupperware containers for a lunch at work or school, or it can be made in advance to fill upcoming too-tired-to-cook-tonight nights. The sautéed red peppers and button mushrooms add flavour to the dish, and other spices, such as red chili flakes, can be added to the recipe to kick it up a further notch.
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