Summer season Pasta Salad is loaded with tender pasta and contemporary summer time produce together with corn, tomatoes, cucumber, nectarines, and contemporary basil, accented with contemporary mozzarella and wearing a luscious white balsamic French dressing!
With temps creeping up and Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, it seems like it is time to formally welcome summer time! Or at the least meteorological summer time. 😉 And what higher solution to ring within the season than with a Summer season Pasta Salad that is bursting with contemporary summer time produce for vibrant shade and vibrant taste?
If it is true that we eat with our eyes first, that is one tasty pasta salad throughout the senses. 🤗
Substances
This wonderful Summer season Pasta Salad boasts a combo of delectable flavors, diversified textures, and lovely colours. And when you might actually modify the components to incorporate any of your heat climate favorites, the recipe is positively pleasant as written. 🙂
- Pasta. Cooked in well-salted water to al dente. I wish to make this recipe with a corkscrew pasta, equivalent to fusilli or rotini, however nearly any form of regular-sized pasta will work.
- Corn. Should you can swing fresh-roasted candy summer time corn, I extremely, extremely suggest it! Nevertheless, frozen corn works nice as effectively. Merely (and shortly) thaw it by putting it in a colander and operating underneath heat water. Drain the corn effectively earlier than including it to the bowl.
- Grape OR cherry tomatoes. Halved or quartered, relying on their measurement…you simply wish to find yourself with good, bite-sized items.
- Cucumber. Peeled and diced. I favor utilizing an English cucumber to keep away from any giant seeds.
- Nectarines. Peeled and diced. Or you possibly can substitute peaches for the same taste, so long as they are not too comfortable.
- Contemporary mozzarella. I like utilizing the smallest mozzarella balls I can discover, normally labeled perlini (“pearls”) or ciliegine (“cherry-sized”). Should you can solely discover bigger mozzarella balls, be happy to chop them in half. Or, if utilizing a big piece of contemporary mozzarella, you’ll be able to dice it into bite-sized (½-inch or so) items.
- Contemporary basil. Sliced right into a chiffonade. (Should you’re not sure how to try this, you will discover images and directions on this put up!)
White Balsamic French dressing
Along with the wonderful parts above, this Summer season Pasta Salad goes from good to nice because of a delicious, sweet-tart dressing that ties the whole lot collectively!
And the key ingredient in that dressing? White balsamic vinegar! I initially examined this Summer season Pasta Salad recipe with an orange French dressing after which a poppy seed dressing, and neither appeared fairly proper. However as quickly as I whipped up this White Balsamic French dressing, I knew I had hit gold!
I’ve to confess that white balsamic vinegar (<— the model I exploit) is a comparatively new discovery for me, however I am already obsessed! It is milder than conventional darkish balsamic vinegar, with a beautiful steadiness of candy and tangy.
And when mixed with a neutral-flavored oil, a pop of lemon juice, a smidge of Dijon, plus garlic powder, salt, and pepper, white balsamic vinegar transforms into probably the most magical and scrumptious French dressing!
Easy methods to Make Summer season Pasta Salad
(The beneath images are meant to be useful, however please confer with the recipe card on the backside of this put up for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
The “hardest” a part of this Summer season Pasta Salad recipe is chopping up the contemporary produce. In different phrases, it is tremendous straightforward to make!
- Make the White Balsamic French dressing by vigorously whisking the components in a bowl. Alternatively, you could whiz the dressing collectively in a blender or mini meals processor or shake it up in a jar.
- Place your cooked and drained pasta in a really giant bowl. Add the corn, halved tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced nectarines, contemporary mozzarella, and basil chiffonade to the bowl.
- Pour the French dressing excessive and gently combine the entire components with a big spoon till effectively mixed. Cowl and refrigerate till able to serve.
Simply earlier than serving, garnish your Summer season Pasta Salad with further basil. Get pleasure from!
Ideas + Methods
Tweaking the sweetness of the French dressing: Usually, white balsamic vinegar is already naturally candy. Nevertheless, if you happen to favor a sweeter dressing, be happy to whisk in 1 teaspoon of honey at a time till your required sweetness is reached.
Make-ahead tip: Should you’re not going to serve your Summer season Pasta Salad quickly, I like to recommend solely stirring in about ¾ of the French dressing earlier than masking and refrigerating the bowl. The pasta will soak up quite a lot of the French dressing because it chills, so simply earlier than serving, stir within the the rest of the French dressing.
So are you able to welcome summer time with open arms, hungry eyes, and a growling abdomen?
As a result of in case you are, this Summer season Pasta Salad is the right recipe for kicking off the season! ☺️
Extra Fabulous Pasta Salads
For the White Balsamic French dressing:
For the Summer season Pasta Salad:
- 8 ounces fusilli OR rotini pasta, cooked in salted water in accordance with package deal instructions, rinsed, & drained
- 2 cups corn, contemporary roasted OR frozen & thawed
- 12 ounces grape tomatoes, halved OR quartered (relying on measurement)
- 1 English cucumber, peeled & diced
- 2 medium nectarines, peeled & diced
- 8 ounces contemporary mozzarella “pearls”, drained
- ½ cup packed basil leaves, sliced right into a chiffonade
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Make the French dressing by whisking the entire components collectively in a medium bowl till totally included, mixing in a mini meals processor, or shaking in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Put aside.
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Place the cooked pasta in a really giant bowl. Add the corn, halved tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced nectarines, contemporary mozzarella, and basil chiffonade to the bowl. Pour the French dressing excessive and gently combine the entire components with a big spoon till effectively mixed. Cowl and refrigerate till able to serve. Simply earlier than serving, garnish with further basil, if desired.
- I like utilizing some form of corkscrew pasta in my Summer season Pasta Salad, however be happy to substitute your favourite form of pasta if you happen to like.
- For the freshest summer time taste, I like to recommend making this recipe with contemporary roasted corn that’s been sliced off the cob. You’ll want about 4 corn cobs to yield 2 cups of corn.
- If utilizing frozen corn, you’ll be able to shortly thaw it by putting it in a colander and operating underneath heat water. Drain effectively earlier than including to the bowl.
- Usually, white balsamic vinegar is already naturally candy. Nevertheless, if you happen to favor a sweeter dressing, be happy to whisk in 1 teaspoon of honey at a time till your required sweetness is reached.
- Use the smallest balls of contemporary mozzarella accessible, also known as perlini (“pearls”), or the next-larger measurement, ciliegine (“cherry-sized”). Should you can solely discover bigger mozzarella balls, be happy to chop them in half. Or if utilizing a big piece of contemporary mozzarella, you’ll be able to dice it into bite-sized (½-inch or so) items.
- Should you make your Summer season Pasta Salad forward of time and will not be serving it for awhile, I like to recommend solely stirring in about ¾ of the French dressing earlier than masking and refrigerating the bowl. The pasta will soak up quite a lot of the French dressing because it chills, so simply earlier than serving, stir within the the rest of the French dressing.
Energy: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 10g | Fats: 13g | Saturated Fats: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Ldl cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 707IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 1mg
