This Zesty Garden Pasta Salad is hands down my favorite right now. This fresh and flavorful version is packed with colorful veggies, creamy mozzarella balls, and the best homemade Italian dressing. I personally love making a batch of this on Sundays to have as quick meal option for lunch or dinner on busier days.
It comes together easily, and it tastes even better the next day. I make it year-round, and it’s always a hit. You can even mix and match the veggies based on what you have on hand!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS ZESTY GARDEN PASTA SALAD
So much flavor! – Between the sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh veggies and zesty homemade dressing, every bite is loaded with deliciousness.
Healthy Ingredients – This pasta salad is packed with fiber and other important nutrients from all the fresh veggies that give it that fresh-from-the-garden vibe. The homemade Italian dressing is the perfect finishing touch. It’s super easy to make, super healthy and way better than store-bought.
INGREDIENTS
- Pasta – I love using rotini because all those little twists soak up the dressing, but any short pasta like penne or bowties will work!
- Fresh veggies – Crisp cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper and spinach are all packed into this Zesty Garden Pasta Salad. Each of them bring their own texture and flavor that add both flavor and important nutrients.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – These give the salad a slightly tangy, rich flavor. I use the ones packed in oil for extra flavor, but you can use dry-packed too (just rehydrate them a bit first).
- Fresh mozzarella balls – Creamy, mild, and totally delicious. You can also use cubed mozzarella if that’s what you have. Sometimes, I’ve only had string cheese on hand and cut that up and added it to the pasta salad. That worked well too!
- Homemade Italian dressing – The perfect combination of a few simple ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and a few other common ingredients that come together to make a fresh, zesty, DELICIOUS Italian dressing.
For another fresh and delicious pasta salad, check out my popular Cucumber Pasta Salad! If you love Greek tzatziki dressing, you will LOVE this pasta salad.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. (TIP: To save time, prep your veggies while the pasta is cooking.)
In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until everything is well combined. Set aside.
Once pasta is done cooking, move to a strainer and rinse under cold water to cool the pasta. Drain well.
In a large bowl, add the pasta, cucumber, both cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, spinach and mozzarella balls. Pour the dressing on top and gently stir until everything is mixed well and dressing is evenly coating everything. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, stir again and add some chopped fresh basil or a drizzle of balsamic glaze to the top of each serving. (This is optional! The pasta salad is amazing without them but, if you have either of these on hand, they add even more depth to the dish.)
TIPS & NOTES
Rinse the pasta after cooking – Unlike hot pasta dishes, pasta salad does best when the noodles are cooled quickly. Rinsing stops the cooking and keeps them from sticking.
Let it chill before serving – Giving the salad at least 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge helps all the flavors meld together beautifully. It’s even better if you can make this the day ahead of when you want to serve it.
Customize it! – Feel free to add extras like olives, chickpeas, grilled chicken, or swap the veggies based on what you have.
Storing leftovers – Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4–5 days. It actually gets more flavorful over time!
Zesty Garden Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini pasta or any short noodle pasta
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ red onion finely diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella balls
For the dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgina olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tbsp honey
- 1 tsp mayonnaise
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Optional topping:
- fresh basil chopped
- balsamic vinegar glaze
Instructions
- In a large pot, add water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. (TIP: To save time, prep your veggies while the pasta is cooking.)
- In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until everything is well combined. Set aside.
- Once pasta is done cooking, move to a strainer and rinse under cold water to cool the pasta. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, add the pasta, cucumber, both cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, spinach and mozzarella balls. Pour the dressing on top and gently stir until everything is mixed well and dressing is evenly coating everything. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, stir again and add some chopped fresh basil or a drizzle of balsamic glaze to the top of each serving. (This is optional! The pasta salad is amazing without them but, if you have either of these on hand, they add even more depth to the dish.)
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