Fusilli Pasta Salad. Yum!
So, summer is just about here in Washington and I can’t wait! Supposedly summers here are THE BEST! The weather is perfect, people are outside, soaking up the sun and smiling 🙂 This will be our first summer in Seattle and I – C-A-N-‘T W-A-I-T!
To me, SUMMER = grilling, sun, cold drinks and pasta salad! I love me some pasta salad. . it’s something about all the fresh vegetables along with the pasta and dressing. . and as long as you don’t overdo it, it’s light and fresh and super yummy.
Here’s my Fusilli Pasta Salad recipe with a slight twist (for the better). It’s using the basil vinaigrette from the chunky salad recipe I got from Mrs. Buena Vida. I just love the smell of basil, all the colors and vegetables in here. You can use whatever veggies you want! ENJOY!
FUSILLI PASTA SALAD
INGREDIENTS FOR PASTA SALAD
- 1/2- 1 lb of fusilli pasta (depending on how much you want to make); Orecchiette pasta would probably work too & look really pretty.
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1-2 cucumbers, diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1-2 cup green beans, cut
- 1/2 red onion (for color) (although I ran out so used white or yellow organic onions)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp of crumbled bleu cheese (optional for sprinkling)
BASIL VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
- 1/2 clove fresh garlic, optional (or crushed garlic)
- 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (or any wine vinegar like brown rice vinegar)
- 1/2- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
- Make pasta according to package. Rinse, drain and set aside.
- Steam your green beans; all of the other veggies can and should be raw.
- Wash and chop up all of your vegetables and set aside in a large bowl.
- For the DRESSING: In a mini food processor, run the garlic through. Except for the basil, pulse the remaining dressing ingredients until emulsified (kind of creamy looking). Then, add the basil and pulse a few times leaving the basil a little chunky.
- Combine everything together in one, large bowl. Mix gently and serve.
- Sprinkle with bleu cheese. Why? Why not? (I had some left over from bleu cheese burgers we made and it was delish with the pasta salad)
