Easy Pasta Salad w/ Homemade Dressing Recipe

Published May 28, 2024 By Elle Ann

Image credit: Platin' It With Wendy via YouTube

With Summer just around the corner, I’ve been collecting recipes that I’d like to make for all the parties and cookouts that we’re planning to host and attend. There are a lot of good ideas for dishes to make on the internet and most of them have easily become my favorites.

But, one of the recipes that stood out to me and a dish that I’m definitely going to make often, is this pasta salad by Platin’ It With Wendy on YouTube. This is so delicious and flavorful, and so much better than store-bought or ready-made salad from the restaurant.

Ingredients for Pasta Salad & Dressing:

Salad

3 cups of pasta, small size, uncooked
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cubed
1 medium red/orange bell pepper, cubed
½ red onion, finely chopped
¾ English cucumber, halved and sliced
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup of pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1½ cups of Feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp of parsley, finely chopped

Dressing

¼ cup of red wine vinegar
½ cup of olive oil
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
2 tsp of honey
1 clove of garlic, finely grated or minced
½ tsp of lemon zest
½ tsp of oregano, dried
Salt and pepper, to taste

How to Make Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing:

Step 1

Boil salted water in a pot over medium heat, then add the pasta, and cook it according to the package instructions. Turn off the heat, then drain off all the water, and transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Drizzle some olive oil, then give it a good mix, and set it aside to cool down completely.

Step 2

In a bowl or mason jar, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, grated garlic, lemon zest, dried oregano, salt, and pepper, then close the lid of the jar, and give them a good shake until blended and emulsified, and then set the dressing aside to allow the flavor to develop. Prepare the veggies, then add them to the bowl of pasta, shake the dressing once more, and pour 2/3 of it over the pasta and veggies.

Step 3

Toss everything together until well coated and combined, add the crumbled cheese, pour some more dressing, and toss them lightly. Add more cheese on top and drizzle the remaining dressing, then serve, and enjoy!