Summer Vegetarian Recipes ~ Garden Pasta Salad for a Crowd

It’s summer picnic time, and that means lots of salads.  I love making Garden Pasta Salad for a crowd, as it’s easy to make, pretty inexpensive, and really does feed a crowd.  It’s also amazing for hot summer days, as it has no pesky mayonnaise in it to go bad, a big picnic issue.  As a child, I remember my mom making this salad, and us eating it for a couple of days, just because she only had to heat the kitchen once and could grill a meat if she wanted to add it in.

Very Veggie Garden Pasta Salad Kids Love

Even kids love the veggies in Garden Pasta Salad!  The fun rotini shape, plus all the different veggies, make this kid-friendly a great addition to your summer vegetarian recipes.  If you have a garden of your own, this makes a great recipe in which to incorporate all your bounty.  Have the kiddos help you harvest their favorites for your Garden Pasta Salad.  If you like it raw, you’ll love it in the salad.

Making Garden Pasta Salad even Faster

If you’d like the shortcut method, simply grab a bottle or two of your favorite Italian salad dressing at the store and pour it over the top of your Garden Pasta Salad.  It will be a fast way to make it, and add great flavor without having to empty your herb cupboard.

2 lbs tri-color Rotini

1 tub grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

4 radishes, cleaned and sliced

1 red pepper, cleaned and diced

1 large can (or 3 small) button mushrooms, drained

1 large can black olives, drained

1 large cucumber, cleaned and sliced

1 8 oz block cheese, diced

1 C olive oil

½ C apple cider vinegar

1 T oregano

1 ½ t garlic salt

1 T parsley

1 t basil

½ t pepper

Fill a stockpot with water and bring to a boil.  Cook the pasta until it’s al dente (soft with a little bite in the center).

Drain and place the pasta in a large bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir well.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or so.

Serve.

Add Garden Pasta Salad to your Summer Vegetarian Recipes and bring the flavor to your next big picnic!