Creamy Pasta Salad
A perfect creamy summer salad
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Salad
- 8- ounce package elbow pasta or whatever pasta you have
- 1/2 cup broccoli florets chopped
- 1/2 cup asparagus chopped
- 1/2 small red onion minced
- 1/3 cup red bell pepper minced
- 1/3 cup cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup carrots chopped frozen or fresh
- 1/4 cup celery sticks
- dried herbs (dill or mint) for topping
Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayo // refer notes for substitution options
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp jalapeno sauce optional
- 2 tsp honey // add only if you like the salad sweeter
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Red chilli flakes to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot pan, bring water and salt to boil. Add pasta and cook until soft. A minute or two before the cooking is done, confirm if pasta is cooked just right, if yes rinse immediately in cold water.
- When pasta is being cooked, chop the veggies and keep them ready. I recommend using broccoli and/or asparagus in the recipe. Steam or cook the broccoli, asparagus in the microwave just enough to soften the crunch and brighten up the color.
- Prepare the dressing - In a small bowl, add light mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, honey & combine. I used jalapeno sauce to spice up the dish. If it isn't available, red chili flakes do the job.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and gently fold in until well combined and everything is evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 mins before serving. Longer the better.
Notes
Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Mayo Substitution -
1/2 cup sour cream
OR
1/4 cup sour cream + 1/4 cup light mayo
OR
1/2 cup greek yogurt. This would result in a tangier salad. Skip Vinegar if you are using this as an option