How to Prepare Appetizing Summer pasta salad

Summer pasta salad. Pasta salad is on the menu in a big way this summer. Not content with mere side dish status, the best pasta salads are busting out main-dish moves with bold tastes and textures. Take a look at some of our favorite main dish pasta salad recipes to make this summer.

Cold pasta salads are not only creamy and delicious—and a great way to get garden vegetables into a dish the kids will eat—but they're also the ideal barbecue side dish for summer, because they're meant to be served chilled. Transform the classic sandwich into a picnic-perfect pasta salad: Crispy bacon, ripe summer tomatoes and fresh lettuce pop against the creamy pasta spirals. Pasta Salads are a cinch to make and a great way to show off summer veggies. You can have Summer pasta salad using 8 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Summer pasta salad

1. Prepare 14.5 ounces of protein plus penne pasta.
2. You need 2 cups of broccoli chopped.
3. Prepare 2 cups of asparagus broken into bite size pieces.
4. Prepare 1 cup of chopped bell pepper chopped.
5. Prepare 1 cup of grape tomatoes cut in half.
6. It's 1 cup of simply dressed Italian dressing.
7. Prepare 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
8. Prepare 1 cup of chopped zucchini.

Add some grilled chicken or shrimp, and you've got the makings of a satisfying meal. What really sets a good pasta apart though is a great, creamy dressing. Fresh and flavorful pasta salads, including your favorite macaroni salad recipes, are fitting side dishes for your favorite grilled entrées. But many of them can also star as main dishes for an easy summer dinner.

Summer pasta salad instructions

1. Cook pasta in boiling water for ten minutes then add chopped broccoli to the water. Cook and stir one minute. Then drain and rinse broccoli and pasta in cold water..
2. Take chopped zucchini, chopped bell peppers and asparagus and sauté in olive oil for 5 - 7 minutes until tender crisp..
3. Add to broccoli and pasta. Add grape tomatoes. Pour dressing over and toss thoroughly..
4. Chill for 4 hours, then ready to eat. Keep uneaten salad refrigerated..

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Shrimp, Lemon & Gemelli Party Pasta Salad Recipe Dill, mustard, and capers are just a few of the flavors that spice up this easy to make pasta salad. Toss it all together with smoky chipotle dressing for. This Easy Summer Pasta Salad is a great recipe to take to summer BBQ's and potlucks. It transports well and can be made for the masses.