A deliciously savory and tangy pasta salad for summer gatherings is here! This dish is super easy and quick, a serious crowd-pleaser, and gets even more flavorful the next day — so it’s great as a make-ahead dish for your backyard shenanigans.
Better yet, you may already have all of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry. Now that’s what I call a go-to salad.
You can add some crumbled extra firm tofu to this dish, or feta cheese for your vegetarian or carnivore friends and fam.
The broccoli in here is optional. It is great with or without!
You’ll need:
- 1 box of pasta of your choice
- 2 cups broccoli florets cut into small pieces (optional)
- 1/2 small red onion very finely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil*
- juice of 2 lemons*
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 10-12oz. jar of roasted red peppers (either whole or in strips), drained and diced
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
- 2 T chopped fresh parsley
- 2 T chopped fresh basil
- 1 T chopped fresh mint (optional)
* just prior to serving, you can add additional 1-2 T olive oil and juice of an additional 1/2 lemon, to moisten the salad and brighten up the flavors.
Here’s how to make it:
- Boil your pasta and just cook to al dente. I like to salt the cooking water with a few tablespoons kosher salt. Drain and set aside.
- If using the broccoli, steam your florets while the pasta is cooking. Do this by boiling the water and plunging the broccoli into the water for 3 minutes and promptly remove and place broccoli into an ice bath to stop the cooking. You want to retain the bright green color. Drain the broccoli and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the onion, olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and whisk together to combine.
- Add the pasta, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. Gently toss to combine.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs, and add the additional oil/lemon juice if desired.