Delicious pasta salad for a healthy and delicious meal that quick and easy to make.
Recipe – Video
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Ingredients
For pasta
- 2 cups (200g) pasta
- 4 cups water (to boil pasta)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For salad dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons oregano/Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fat free mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
- salt to taste
For Pasta Salad
- 1 cup bell peppers, yellow & red diced
- 1 cup onion finely diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes finely diced
- ½ cup cucumber diced
- 1 tablespoon black olives pitted and sliced
- 1 cup paneer small cubes
Note– Please read recipe notes in the end.
Main Equipments Used
- Tefal Non-Stick set of 5: https://amzn.to/2Y7mZuX
- Induction cooktop – I use Morphy Richards 1600 Watt Cooktop. You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2Jkn4px
Steps In Making Pasta Salad
To boil the pasta
- In a pan add water and bring it to a boil. Now add salt and olive oil. Further, add the penne pasta and boil it on a medium flame for 12-14 minutes or until soft.
- To check if the pasta is perfectly cooked, cut it with a knife and it will easily cut.
- Take a sieve/colander and rinse the excess water. Now rinse with some cold water, this will stop the cooking process.
Salad dressing
- In a bowl add olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice and with the help of a whisk beat it for couple of minutes. It will get a creamy texture.
- Now add the mayonnaise and mix again.
- Lastly add black pepper powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt, powdered sugar and mix till well combined.
- The salad dressing is ready.
Assemble the pasta salad
- In a large bowl add the boiled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onions, black olives and paneer cubes and mix well.
- Now pour the salad dressing on top and gently mix till everything is well combined.
- Keep the pasta salad in the refrigerator for couple of hours before serving.
Recipe Notes
- You can add any veggies of your choice, like baby corn, sweet corn, zucchini, broccoli.
- You can replace mayonnaise with hung curd.
- If you don’t have vinegar then replace it with same amount of lemon juice.
Step By Step In Pictures For Pasta Salad
1. In a pan add water and bring it to a boil.
2. Now add salt.
3. Add olive oil.
4. Add the penne pasta and boil it on medium flame for 12-14 minutes or until soft.
5. To check if the pasta is perfectly cooked, cut it with a knife and it will easily cut.
6. Take a sieve/colander and rinse the excess water. Now rinse with some cold water, this will stop the cooking process.
7. To prepare the salad dressing, in a bowl add extra virgin olive oil
8. Now add vinegar.
9. Add lemon juice and whisk it for couple of minutes till well combined.
10. It will get a creamy texture.
11. Now add fat free mayonnaise and mix again.
12. Lastly add black pepper powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt, powdered sugar and mix till well combined.
13. The salad dressing is ready.
14. In a large bowl add the boiled pasta.
15. Now add all the veggies- cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onions, black olives and paneer cubes and mix well.
16. Mix well.
17. Now pour the salad dressing on top.
18. Gently mix till everything is well combined.
19. Keep the pasta salad in the refrigerator for couple of hours before serving.