Garden Pasta Salad With Rotini

Garden Pasta Salad
Diana Rattray
  • Total: 30 mins
  • Prep: 20 mins
  • Cook: 10 mins
  • Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Ratings (21)

By Diana Rattray

Updated 06/04/18

This tasty garden pasta salad is loaded with fresh chopped vegetables. The lemony pesto and mayonnaise dressing flavors the salad perfectly. I used rotini in the salad, but feel free to use farfalle, fusilli, or another similar pasta.

To make the salad hearty enough to be a main dish, add some diced cooked chicken, cheese cubes or shredded cheese, or cubed leftover ham, roast beef, or turkey.

What You'll Need

  • 8 ounces rotini pasta
  • 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup diced seeded tomato
  • 1 can (approx. 2 1/2 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, optional
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, optional

How to Make It

Cook the rotini pasta in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Set the pasta aside to cool completely and then transfer it to a large serving bowl.

Toss the cooled rotini pasta with the diced cucumber, tomato, sliced ripe olives, bell pepper, celery, and onion (if using).

In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, pesto, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, salt, and parsley, if using.

Combine with the pasta and stir gently until blended.

Taste and add more salt as needed.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

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Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
429 Calories
25g Fat
44g Carbs
8g Protein
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)