Summer Pasta Salad

Cold Pasta Salad for summertime in a blue and white bowl.

Crisp and fresh, this Summer Pasta Salad is easy to make and so irresistable. Sweet pan roasted corn with a citrusy vinaigrette, creamy feta and flavorful fresh herbs makes this cooling dish absolutely fabulous! Double the batch and have plenty for days.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Cold Pasta Salad, Summer Pasta, Summer Pasta Salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 445kcal

Author Heather

Ingredients

8 oz pasta of choice *See Note #1 below
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil *See Note #2 below (plus 2tbsp extra for roasting corn)
1/4 cup lemon juice *about 2 lemons
2 tsp lemon zest
2 lg garlic cloves (crushed) *See Note #3 below
1/2 tsp salt
10 lg fresh basil leaves *finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives *about 1/2 bunch
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
6 lg fresh mint leaves *finely chopped
5 oz sugar snap peas *cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb grape tomatoes *cut in half
1 English cucumber *peel on, cut into bite size pieces
1 lg orange bell pepper *cut into bite size pieces
2 cups corn *See Note #4 below
1 cup feta crumbles

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Instructions

Prepare the Vinaigrette

In a large mixing bowl whisk together oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and salt. Set aside.

Cook the Pasta

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil over high heat. Salt the water and cook the pasta according following package instructions to al dente. See Note #5 below.
Drain the pasta well (do not rinse) and add to vinaigrette. Stir well.

Roasting Corn

Heat a medium sized frying pan over medium/high heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil and the corn. Cook stirring frequently for 8- 10 mins or until kernels are toasted. Add to pasta bowl and stir well.

Pasta Salad

Prepare veggies and herbs. Cool Pasta to room temperature (See Note #6 below) and stir in veggies, herbs and feta. Cover and cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This salad can also be eaten immediately after being prepared.

Notes

*Please use as many organic ingredients as possible.

Recipe Notes

Note #1: Organic Gemelli pasta purchased from Costco was used for this recipe. For gluten free needs this is an excellent pasta.

Note #2: One of the easiest ways to know a good quality olive oil is by the expiration date. If there is no expiration date chances are it is an inferior oil.

Note #3: For garlic lovers like me, use 3-4 large cloves of garlic.

Note #4: Either use 2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob or frozen corn. Here is an incredibly helpful video showing how to quickly and easily cut corn off the cob.

Note #5: Al dente means almost fully cooked. In other words, the pasta will have a slight bit of chew to it.

Note #6: To cool the pasta to room temperature quickly, place in refrigerator once tossed with vinaigrette and make sure to stir frequently. It will take approximately 15 minutes to cool.

Nutrition