Picnic Pasta Salad
Picnics, BBQs or potlucks wouldn’t be the same without the addition of a pasta salad! It keeps for hours at room temperature, customizable and universally loved by all age groups. It is retro in name, but updated in this recipe. No more heavy mayonnaise dressing here. We’ve replaced it with a zesty vinaigrette that’s fresh and heat friendly. Add additional vegetables that are in season at your local farmer’s market or add a lean protein like chicken or shrimp to customize this recipe to work for you!
Tips:
The dressing can be made a few days ahead of time. You can also chop the vegetables and store them individually until you are ready to serve.
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Pasta gets hard when cold, so bring any leftovers to room temperature before enjoying.
Use any smaller shaped pasta for this dish that you can find. Bowties would be a good shape and tri-color pasta would be very pretty.
Double the dressing recipe and keep for another salad, another day.
Picnic Pasta Salad
Serves 6-8 people
PREP 10 minutes
COOK 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. fusilli pasta, uncooked
2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 ½ cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups arugula
1 cup cucumbers, sliced into thin half moons
1 cup crumbled feta or ricotta salata cheese
1 cup basil leaves, torn
½ cup minced parsley
½ cup chopped mint
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, or dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, and salt. (Note: the dressing will have a strong flavor, it’ll mellow once it coats all of the pasta salad ingredients).
Drain the pasta and place it in a large serving bowl. While the pasta is hot add enough dressing to coat the pasta and keep it from sticking together.
Once cooled off add the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumber, cheese, basil, mint, and pine nuts.
Add more dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with more lemon, salt, pepper, and/or a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve.