Easy Pasta Salad
This Easy Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing is a perfect side dish any time of year! This recipe serves a crowd, 10 - 12 people, so feel free to cut it in half if you wish, or it makes great leftovers for lunches the next day.
Servings 10 - 12 servings
Ingredients
Homemade Italian Dressing
- 1 cup vegetable oil you can use olive oil, but the flavour will be a bit stronger
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp sugar or honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- fresh ground black pepper
- salt to taste I didn't add any because the parmesan cheese is salty, but you can add salt if you want
Salad Ingredients (see notes):
- 1 900 g package of noodles
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas (drained)
- 1 14 oz can sliced olives (drained)
- 3 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1 medium cucumber chopped
- 1 cup chopped cauliflower
- 3 - 4 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Blend all of the salad dressing ingredients together until smooth. I like to use a hand blender to do this.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl toss the pasta and chopped vegetables with the salad dressing and let it rest for at least 1 hour. This salad is even better when served the next day, after it has had time to rest.
- Stir before serving.
Notes
Feel free to use any vegetables that you like...I only just listed what was used for this salad. You can also use chopped broccoli, carrots, snap peas, chunks of cheddar cheese, and even cooked chunks of chicken to make it a full meal. The flavour possibilities are endless.