Description
Healthy Italian pasta salad is a fresh and colorful cold pasta salad made with crisp vegetables, olives, mozzarella, and a light homemade Italian vinaigrette.
Ingredients
12 oz rotini or whole wheat rotini pasta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup black olives or Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella pearls
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.
2. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water until fully cooled.
3. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, olives, mozzarella, and parsley.
5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until evenly coated.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
7. Chill for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Whole wheat pasta adds extra fiber.
Use reduced-fat mozzarella for a lighter option.
This salad tastes even better after a short chill time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 360mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 10mg