Gluten-Free Summer Pasta Salad
This gluten-free pasta salad has all the flavours of summer. Get your veggies in with this delicious combination of pasta, fresh vegetables, and zesty dressing. The perfect BBQ appetizer or side dish!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ cup yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup cucumber, sliced into rounds then quartered
- ¾ cup broccoli florets, chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
- ½ lb gluten-free pasta (220g) I like to use rotini
- 1 package gluten-free pasta salad spice mix Clubhouse is certified gluten-free in Canada
- + additional ingredients specified by spice mix ¼ cup white vinegar, ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Begin by washing and pre-chopping the vegetables. Fill a medium-size pot with water and place on the stove on high heat. Once the water has come to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt, and pour in the gluten-free pasta. Bring down to medium-high heat.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. While it cooks, whisk together the pasta salad spice mix along with any ingredients required by the package in a small measuring cup or bowl. When there are 3 minutes left of cook time on the pasta, add the carrots and broccoli into the pot to blanch and soften.
- Once the pasta has a soft bite to it, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add the pasta, carrots, and broccoli to a large bowl. Add the remaining chopped vegetables. Pour the dressing on top and mix everything together with a large spoon.
- Cover the bowl and let the pasta salad sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours (see note below). This will allow everything chill while the flavours mix together. Remove from the fridge just before ready to serve. Serve as a hearty gluten-free appetizer, side, or even main dish. Enjoy cold!
Notes
Storing & Refrigeration Instructions
It is recommended to only store the pasta salad in the fridge for 1-2 hours before you plan to serve it. Any longer than that, and the gluten-free pasta may soak up the oily dressing and become a bit hard and brittle. It will certainly be edible and delicious, but if you really must store the pasta salad for longer, say overnight, then it is recommended to let it warm slightly at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving. Adding a few teaspoons of olive oil may help in reviving the pasta salad.
Any leftovers can certainly be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, however you may want to bring it up to temperature a bit before eating.