Garden Vegetable and Herb Pasta Salad

Name: Garden Vegetable and Herb Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 box Pasta (your favorite shape); 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes (1 1/2 cups chopped); 1 large English Cucumber (1 1/2 cups chopped); 10 Mini Sweet Peppers (1 1/2 cups chopped); 1 Ball Fresh Mozzarella (an 8 ounce ball); 1/2 cup Fresh basil (chopped); 1/2 cup Fresh Parsley (chopped); Salt and Pepper to taste; 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar; 1 tsp Granulated Garlic; 1 tsp Oregano

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Ready in under 20 minutes, this Garden Vegetable and Herb Pasta Salad uses all the amazing vegetables and herbs that are growing in your garden or you can find at your local farmer's market.

garden vegetable and herb pasta salad on three plates surrounded by fresh basil

During the Summer, the garden is producing lots of delicious and fresh veggies! The best way to use those veggies is to add them to a fresh pasta salad! This pasta salad is loaded with veggies and a tangy Italian dressing.

This pasta salad would go perfectly with Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, Instant Pot Turkey Tenderloin, or Chicken Burgers with Feta and Spinach!

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Ingredients You'll Need
Variations
Step-By-Step Instructions
Storage Tips
Questions about this Recipe?
Other Recipes to Try!
📖 Recipe

Ingredients You'll Need

Utilize the freshest possible vegetables available at your farmer's market or what you are growing your garden!

Ingredients for the garden vegetable and herb pasta salad laid out

Cucumbers- I used English cucumbers because they are my kids favorites. No need to worry about seeds with them. If you can't find English cucumbers, use whatever cucumbers you have! Feel free to peel them too if the skin is too thick.

Cherry tomatoes- There are so many different types and colors of cherry tomatoes, use your favorite! If you think that larger tomatoes look better at the market, use a larger tomato but cut it into bite sized pieces.

Peppers- I like the rings of the small, sweet bell peppers, but regular sized bell peppers work too. If you can find red, yellow, or orange ones use those as they tend to be sweeter than green ones.

Pasta- Farfalle, rotini, even penne works in this salad. Once again, pick your favorite! Chick pea pasta or gluten free pasta would be great in this salad as well.

Herbs- Basil and parsley are what I have in my garden at the moment, but chives, basil, parsley, even fresh oregano would be amazing.

Variations

Add protein! Feel free to add chick peas, grilled chicken breast, or your favorite beans.
Change up the pasta! Use your favorite shape of pasta in this recipe. I like the vegetable rotini, but any pasta shape would work!
Change the dressing! This is a light, tangy vinaigrette but feel free to use ranch dressing, Caesar dressing, or your favorite bottled dressing.
Change up the veggies! If you have zucchini, broccoli, red onion, green onions, or red bell peppers feel free to chop and use any of those veggies!

Step-By-Step Instructions

the cut up cucumbers, peppers, and cherry tomatoes are in a bowl — **Step 1:** Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Once it is cooked, drain the pasta in a colander and run cold water over it. This will stop the cooking process. Set the pasta aside.

The chopped fresh mozzarella and chopped herbs are added to the bowl — **Step 2:** Chop the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and sweet peppers into bite sized pieces. Place them in a large bowl. Chop the fresh mozzarella and herbs and add them to the bowl with the chopped vegetables.

The pasta is add to the bowl for the garden vegetable and herb pasta salad — Step 3: In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic, and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Add the pasta and the vinaigrette to the bowl. Mix well and refrigerate.

Storage Tips

Keep this pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The longer it sits in the refrigerator the more the flavors meld together! You can serve this room temperature or refrigerated because it does not have any protein in it!

This pasta salad will not freeze well unfortunately. Because of the fresh veggies, this is best made and then enjoyed within a few hours.

Questions about this Recipe?

What other dressings could I use?

If you did not want to use a vinaigrette, a ranch dressing would work. Balsamic vinegar could be substituted for the red wine vinegar as well. Check out this recipe for Chicken and Bacon Caesar Pasta Salad for another amazing pasta salad recipe!

Can I make this vegan?

Definitely! Leave out the mozzarella and it's a delicious vegan pasta salad!

Can I use other vegetables?

Yes! Add chopped broccoli, diced zucchini, or diced yellow squash. Use whatever looks good at your famer's market or in your garden when you want to make this!

Single plate of garden vegetable and herb pasta salad with a basil garnish

Other Recipes to Try!

Did you give this Garden Vegetable and Herb Pasta Salad a try? I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! And don't forget to check out some other drool worthy recipes below! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!