Garden Pasta Salad
Congrats Tino!! He just bought himself a brand new 2011 Hyundai Sonata, fully loaded SE 2.0T,ย and traded in his Ford Explorer. His exploder as we called it! He is a hard core Ford guy so I have to say I was very shocked when he decided on the Sonata, but the car is really beautiful and certainly is going to get him better gas mileage than the exploder. Although, I know he will miss his big car…but I am SO proud of him for buying his first *new* car (you know how that goes, owning lots of cars in your lifetime but never a *new* car)!
In spirit of Tino’s success I wanted to share with you a bright and vibrant recipe that I was shocked that I actually liked. I am not a pasta salad fan. Especially pasta salad that is loaded with creamy dressings or mayo, gross! You tend to always see pasta salads at picnics and the salads sit out for hours and tend not to look very appetizing. Well, I decided to Rave-ify pasta salad. You know what that means right!? TONS OF VEGGIES! I see some pasta salads that have meat in them as well and I just don’t tend to like that very much so I left that out as well.
Ingredients for Pasta Salad:
- 1 (16oz) package of uncooked rotini
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1/2 chopped green bell peppers
- 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and quartered
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 bottle of your favorite Italian Dressing (I used Northern States Italian Lite)
- 1 (60z) package of feta cheese
Cook your pasta in large pot until al dente. Rinse with cold water and drain.
Mix chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, and onion together in a large bowl.
Combined cooled pasta and vegetables together in large bowl. Pour italian dressing over mixture, add feta and mix well.
Chill for one hour before serving.
How pretty is that?! I just love the colors of all the different vegetables. They really make this pasta for me. Not to mention they are still crunchy. You have the creaminess of the cheese, the soft texture of the pasta, and then that bite of the raw vegetables. So good! Not to mention this is pretty darn good for ya!
Happy Wednesday! ๐
39 Comments
Dana
I’m all about a great pasta salad ๐ Happy Wednesday
RavieNomNoms
Haha I have to say, that I am not really a pasta salad girl, but this one won my heart over! Happy Thursday ๐
thecompletecookbook
How exciting getting a new car – here’s to many miles of happy driving. Your celebratory salad looks fabulous.
๐ Mandy
RavieNomNoms
I know, he is very excited about it! Thanks Mandy!
Krissyp
I agree with you on the creamy salads. I only enjoy a creamy pasta salad when I’m the one that made it (because I know what I put into it) and it is sitting in the AC, not on a hot picnic table. I love your pasta salad with the addition of feta (usually do mozerrella but I like your choice…more flavor). This translates well with tortellini too!
RavieNomNoms
I agree Krissy…I am with that on most things though that are like that. When I can control what goes into things I always feel better about eating it.
What a great idea to put tortellini in it! That would make it so you wouldn’t need the feta anymore. I’ll have to try that next time
kitchenarian
I love pasta salads and this one looks great with all the colorful veggies and feta cheese. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
RavieNomNoms
You are most welcome! Thank you for stopping by and taking a minute to check it out!
Brandie
The exploder…hahaha. Yay for a new vehicle!!
Oh pasta salad…yummm. And feta cheese too? Love that in there!!
RavieNomNoms
๐ hehe I am glad you enjoyed that Brandie. We get a few chuckles from the “exploder”.
I know, the recipe called for Parmesan, but I wanted to use feta. I just love how creamy it is and I knew it would add a great flavor to the salad!
Megan @ pipandebby
I adore pasta salads (but I agree that sitting out in the hot sun for hours does not make them particularly appetizing). This one looks great!
RavieNomNoms
Thank you very much Megan! Definitely agree…as long as they are chilled I am all set!
Angie's Recipes
Love pasta salads! Yours with veggies looks so tasty and healthy!
RavieNomNoms
Hi there Angie! It was extremely tasty, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this pasta salad
Sandra
Like the looks and sound of this salad. I don’t eat much pasta anymore, but this would be great for Memorial Day. Thank you.
RavieNomNoms
You are welcome Sandra! If you don’t eat a lot of pasta you can always change this up and use quinoa instead! If I hadn’t been making this for other people and just myself, I would have used quinoa anyways. Always a nice sub for pasta
Lauren
Just in time for the warmer days, I love cold pasta salad.
Sandra's Easy Cooking
I love this salad, so refreshing and creamy..Yummy!
I could eat this for breakfast too hahhaa
Have a wonderful day sweetie!
RavieNomNoms
Hi Sandra! haha breakfast?! Well that one I haven’t heard, but now that you mention it…why not?! haha
Hope you are having a great week!
chadwood
This couldn’t be more simple – great post! I love these creamy pasta salads. The feta cheese does it.
RavieNomNoms
I couldn’t agree with you more. I think the feta adds a dimension to this salad that is wonderful
Roxan
Love all the fresh veggies in this pasta salad!
RavieNomNoms
Thank you Roxan! I really wanted to add all those goodies to the salad. That is what really makes it better than most pasta salads for me
Becky
I love this pasta salad, with the light dressing, and all the crisp, bright veggies. It would make a perfect summer lunch or dinner!
RavieNomNoms
I agree! It would be a great thing to have during the summer. Thanks Becky!
Emily Malloy @Cleanliness
Yum! This looks perfect for any party!
RavieNomNoms
Definitely! Hope you’re having a great week Emily!
The Southern Lady
Your pasta salad looks wonderful and so does all your pictures and recipes. Thanks for your kind comment on Brandie’s blog. I enjoyed checking out your place!
RavieNomNoms
You are so welcome! I loved your post, I am so glad that Brandie introduced us ๐
Thank you for coming to visit, come back soon!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
Pasta salad is just one of those things that I thinkI could probably eat every day for the rest of my life. Yours is so pretty and colorful too!
RavieNomNoms
Thanks very much Katrina! I am not sure I could eat it everyday but I certainly did when I made this one, mainly because I made WAAAAY too much hehe ๐
Priscilla-She's Cookin'
Totally agree – the more fresh veggies the better! A perfect pasta salad and Cheers to Hump Day ๐
RavieNomNoms
Hi Priscilla! Haven’t seen you for a while lady!
Thank you very much, cheers indeed!
Magic of Spice
Congrats Tino! And a great way to celebrate with this lovely pasta salad ๐
RavieNomNoms
Thank you!! It was definitely a good way to celebrate!
Amy
This salad sounds delicious! I love when pasta salads are packed full of nutritious colorful veggies! The feta is a nice addition :)!
RavieNomNoms
Thank you so much Amy!! I love that it is packed with colorful veggies too! Makes me so happy ๐
briarrose
The exploder….awesome nickname. ๐
Beautiful salad…I love all the fresh veggies. I’m a definite fan of the Italian dressing instead of mayo or one of the creamier toppings.
RavieNomNoms
Haha thank you! Everyone seems to get a kick outta that ๐
Yes most definitely, the lighter Italian dressing is so much nicer than the mayo or creamy topping. Just makes it light and refreshing!