Gluten Free Pasta Salad is the perfect easy summer treat made with amazing fresh ingredients!
Making about 4 healthy servings, this pasta salad truly hits the spot! If you doubt gluten free pasta recipes this is the one for you. We'll walk through the key ingredients & how you can make the best gluten free pasta salad ever!
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How to Make the Best Pasta Salad
This is the first of many pasta salad recipes on the site, and I'm excited to share it with you for its vibrant colors & bright flavors. It is also an extremely flexible and versatile pasta recipe, since you can swap veggies for your favorites. Use this recipe as a guideline and go from there!
What ingredients do you need for the pasta salad?
You will need only a handful of veggies and some basic dressing components to create this delicious salad. This salad has a hint of a Greek vibe from the Kalamata olives & the dressing is more of an Italian variation. Such a fun mix!
- Pasta: Gluten free pasta can be finicky - for real! There are so many variations; corn, quinoa, rice, chickpea - which to chose? I'll be honest, if you want the best of the best pasta, a dish you can serve to gluten free foodies and non gluten free foodies without knowing the difference, Jovial brown rice pasta is the way to go. Of course, use what is available to you, but if you have the option, I highly recommend it.
- Veggies: When I was planning this recipe, I had the idea of using some of the classic veggies used in an Italian pasta salad. Once I went to the fridge to gather the ingredients for the recipe test, I decided to switch it up and grabbed a couple of random veggies that I knew would pair well together; and they did! In this recipe, I used broccolini, yellow pepper, zucchini & shaved brussel sprout. Use whatever you have on hand or love!
- Dressing: As I mentioned earlier, I made a simple Italian dressing, packed with flavor! Definitely follow the dressing recipe to the T and then taste and add more salt/pepper or another ingredient if needed.
- Add Ons - In this case, I added Kalamata olives! These olives are salty and very strongly flavored. Feel free to use your favorite olive variation.
Prepare in Advance
You can refrigerate this pasta salad for up to 4-5 days! All the veggies should stay fresh, stored in an airtight container or even a ziplock. I find that as the salad sits, the flavors meld and it becomes even more delicious. I recommend letting the salad sit in the fridge for 4-6 hours before serving.
Questions You May Have, Answered
What equipment do I need? Nothing fancy! We're using a large bowl and pots to boil the pasta & veggies in. No other equipment needed.
Can I scale this recipe? 100% feel free to double or triple this recipe! Just add the dressing slowly and mix. Don't add all the dressing at once.
Gluten Free Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Gluten Free Pasta Salad is the perfect easy summer treat made with amazing fresh ingredients!
Ingredients
Salad:
- 12 oz box gluten free pasta (I love Jovial)
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced
- 2 cups shaved brussel sprouts
- ½ zucchini, thinly sliced into circles
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives, halved
- 2 bunches of broccolini (stems removed, and cut into pieces)
Dressing:
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon juice from kalamata olives (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water after cooking.
- Bring water to a boil in a medium pot with 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute, then use a slotted spoon to remove and place into a bowl filled with ice water. Place onto a towel and pat dry.
- Next, blanch shaved brussel sprouts in boiling water for 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to remove and place into a bowl filled with ice water. Place onto a towel and pat dry.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss together.
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a medium bowl until combined.
- Pour ¾ of the dressing over the salad and toss together. Taste and add more dressing as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Make this recipe your own by swapping any veggies you prefer!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: pasta
- Method: stovetop cooking
Keywords: pasta salad, gluten free pasta salad, gluten free pasta salad summer, summer pasta salad gluten free
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