Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (2024)

Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe – A summertime favorite, this healthy pasta salad recipe has loads of vegetables and homemade Italian dressing. Quite versatile, you can pick and choose your vegetables based on your own palette.

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (1)

- Table of Contents -

  1. Versatile and Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe
  2. Homemade Italian Dressing Makes Pasta Salad Recipe the Healthiest
  3. Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe is PERFECT for Outdoor Picnics
  4. Perfect Addition to Any Meal – Here’s my Favorite Dinners for Summertime!
  5. Kitchen Favorites

Versatile and Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe

You cannot go wrong with this recipe — well, unless you use gluten-filled wheat pasta and skip the vegetables. Okay, and maybe use store-bought, unhealthy canola-oil based Italian dressing.

But otherwise, you really can’t do this wrong. Just follow the general instructions below. It’s a balance of 5-6 cups of healthy pasta and 3-4 cups of chopped vegetables. Giving everyone a healthy boost of phytonutrients.

This healthy pasta salad recipe is going to serve 6-8 people easily so feel free to cut it in half if you don’t need that much.

However, I have found that with quick and healthy recipes like this, making extra means we have a side dish for another meal. Or, the kids have a quick and healthy snack without any effort.

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (2)

Homemade Italian Dressing Makes Pasta Salad Recipe the Healthiest

Italian dressing off the grocery store shelf has canola oil, sugars and a list of difficult-to-pronounce ingredients. So, we came up with our homemade recipe for Italian dressing (with optional anchovy paste).

All you need is a high speed blender and a few simple ingredients to blend up your own dressing. I like to make a double batch and leave some in the fridge to use throughout the week with other recipes. Or just on our favorite side salads.

We would to hear what you think about our balance of vegetables to pasta and our new Italian dressing. Be sure to leave a comment below letting me know.

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (3)

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe is PERFECT for Outdoor Picnics

This healthy pasta salad is the perfect salad to take to outdoor picnics and parties this summer. Why? Because, the dressing used on this healthy pasta salad recipe is our homemade Italian dressing. The dressing and pasta salad will last for hours outside without having to worry about going bad.

Just toss this recipe into an Insulated Serving Bowl and don’t worry about a thing.

You can also easily make our fruit salad as a perfect outdoor companion or this 7 Layer Mexican Dip. Edamame Succotash is another perfect recipe for outdoor picnics.

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (4)

Perfect Addition to Any Meal – Here’s my Favorite Dinners for Summertime!

We love this healthy pasta salad recipe because of how nutrient-dense it is. Loaded with fresh vegetables, you can easily skip the side salad. Here are some of my favorite dinners that pair really well with this pasta recipe:

  • Love Old Bay? Try these Salmon Burgers with a bun or wrapped in lettuce. Be sure to top it with our homemade garlic cream sauce.
  • Burger Bowl Salad is a great way to load up on vegetables and healthy condiments.
  • This Healthy Turkey Burger recipe has umami flavors and tons of vegetables. So, if you’re looking to geek out on healthy flavors, choose this.
  • Homemade Lamb Burgers are a great balance to the Italian seasoning in this pasta salad.

Kitchen Favorites

Print

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 StarNo reviews

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe is both gluten free and very, very healthy. It’s loaded with vegetables, super easy to make & delicious to eat!

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (25)

Save Recipe

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 1x

Ingredients

  • 16 oz organic gluten free pasta*, prepared
  • 34 cups of chopped vegetables, any variety/combination. Consider these options:
    • 1 cup red, yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
    • 1 cup carrots, grated
    • 1 cup cucumbers, chopped
    • 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
    • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
    • 1/2 cup green olives, chopped
    • 1/2 cup green peas
    • 1/4 cup jalapenos, de-seeded and chopped
    • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
    • 34 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup Italian dressing, prepared

Instructions

  1. Prepare your pasta according to the package. When done, use a strainer to drain the water from the pot and rinse the pasta with cold water. Set aside.
  2. In a classic mixing bowl, combine 3-4 cups of chopped vegetables in any variety and combination using the ideas above.
  3. In a large bowl, add the rinsed pasta, all of the vegetables and drizzle with up to 1 cup of prepared Italian dressing. Stir to combine.
  4. Cover the pasta salad and place it in the fridge to chill before serving.

Last Step! If you loved our recipe, leave us a review below. This helps future recipe makers and ensures continued high-quality recipes for years to come!

Notes

* For this recipe, I used organic brown rice and organic quinoa spiral noodles. You can easily swap this out for chickpea pasta, vegetable pasta or brown rice pasta.

©2024 clean cuisine Recipe by: Author Ivy Larson

I made this healthy pasta salad recipe on Good Morning America for a healthy 4th of July segment. Made with lots of vegetables, super easy to make & delicious to eat!

Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe - Gluten Free with Veggies - clean cuisine (2024)

FAQs

What are the five mistakes to avoid pasta salad? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Pasta Salad
  • Using the wrong pasta. The wrong pasta type or size can make pasta salad soggy, slimy, or just plain hard to eat. ...
  • Salting only once, at the end. ...
  • Too many raw ingredients! ...
  • Overdressing or underdressing the salad. ...
  • Not seasoning again just before serving.

Is pasta salad good for health? ›

Pasta salad can be a healthy meal option if it contains a variety of vegetables, lean protein, and a dressing that is low in saturated fat and added sugars. However, if the pasta salad is made with high-fat meats, cheese, and a creamy or oil-based dressing, it can be high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium.

Can you eat GF pasta cold? ›

Just like traditional gluten -containing pasta, you can eat gluten free pasta cold. And it can be quite delicious.

Why does my gluten free pasta salad get hard? ›

Make sure to cook it until tender. I usually recommend al dente for hot pasta, but for a gluten free pasta salad you want to make sure the pasta is well cooked to begin with, because it will harden as it cools.

Is it healthy to eat pasta salad every day? ›

If you love pasta, there's no reason to cut it out from your diet, the experts say. It can be a great way to pack in vegetables, healthy fats from nuts, olive oil and pasta sauces, Linsenmeyer says. "It's fine to include in a regular diet as often as every day. It really is."

What makes pasta unhealthy? ›

This is because refined pasta is high in carbohydrates, without offering much else in the way of nutrients. However, pasta can be made healthier if paired with more nutritionally dense foods, such as vegetables. Whole-grain pasta options are also healthy alternatives to traditional refined pasta.

Is cold pasta healthier for you? ›

An experiment on the BBC TV show Trust me, I'm a Doctor, led by Dr Denise Robertson (senior nutrition scientist at the University of Surrey), showed that eating cooled or reheated pasta – turning it into 'resistant starch' – could help to reduce the rise of blood glucose levels.

Is there a healthy kind of pasta? ›

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Also called whole-grain pasta, this type of pasta keeps the bran, endosperm, and germ of the grain together. It's filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This helps you feel full longer and keeps your blood sugar from spiking. It also has a little over 8 grams of protein per cup cooked.

Is pasta fattening or healthy? ›

Nevertheless, pasta can be part of a healthy diet, and it's better for you than fried potatoes and white bread, so swapping it in can benefit your health, Morse says. It's often paired with healthy foods, too, such as olive oil and vegetables.

Why can't you reheat gluten-free pasta? ›

Unfortunately, it is not advisable to reheat gluten-free pasta because it is made of corn and rice, both of which break down more quickly and easily than wheat. As a result, gluten-free pasta tends to become mushy and tasteless when cooked a second time.

How to make gluten-free pasta taste good? ›

Don't forget to salt the water.

On its own, gluten-free pasta is really pretty tasteless. It needs seasoning, in the form of salt, just like regular pasta. After the water comes to a boil, add enough salt to make the water taste like the ocean (about 1/4 cup for a large pot of water), before adding the pasta.

What Italian dressings are gluten-free? ›

Hellmann's Zesty Italian is made with Romano cheese, Garlic, and Red and Green Bell Peppers and has no artificial flavors. It's Gluten-Free and has 0g Trans Fat. Hellmann's brand is recognized throughout the world for unrivaled quality and flavor and its commitment to real, simple ingredients, like Romano cheese.

Is rice gluten-free? ›

Yes, all rice (in its natural form) is gluten-free. Rice is one of the most popular gluten-free grains for people with celiac disease. Many gluten-free packaged goods are made with rice flour instead of wheat flour. Although rice is naturally gluten-free, there are some instances where it may not be gluten-free.

Is chickpea pasta healthy? ›

Chickpea pasta is a healthy alternative to white pasta, providing more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, most types are suitable for gluten-free diets. Its fiber and protein may support blood sugar management, weight maintenance, digestive health, and a reduced risk of numerous health conditions.

What are the seven things that you should not do when preparing the salad? ›

Is Your Salad Healthy? 7 Ways You Might Be Sabotaging It, According to Registered Dietitians
  1. Mistake 1: Forgetting Protein. ...
  2. Mistake 2: Drowning in Dressing. ...
  3. Mistake 3: Packaged Dressings. ...
  4. Mistake 4: Going Crazy on the Croutons. ...
  5. Mistake 6: Using Light Greens.
Mar 27, 2023

Should you rinse pasta in cold water for pasta salad? ›

If you're making a dish that will be served chilled or at room temp—think cold soba, rice noodles, pasta salad—you do want to rinse so that you get toothsome (sorry) individual strands rather than one big gummy clump. Certain types of noodles benefit from a rinse in almost all applications.

What is necessary to avoid when making fresh pasta? ›

15 Mistakes To Avoid When Making Fresh Pasta
  1. Not using the well method to mix your pasta. ...
  2. Using the wrong type of flour. ...
  3. Using too many egg whites. ...
  4. Not using the correct dry-to-wet ingredient ratio. ...
  5. Not adding semolina. ...
  6. Under-kneading your pasta dough. ...
  7. Forgetting to rest your pasta dough. ...
  8. Rolling out your pasta by hand.
Feb 1, 2023

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Last Updated:

Views: 5696

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Birthday: 1998-01-29

Address: Apt. 611 3357 Yong Plain, West Audra, IL 70053

Phone: +5819954278378

Job: Construction Director

Hobby: Embroidery, Creative writing, Shopping, Driving, Stand-up comedy, Coffee roasting, Scrapbooking

Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.