Strawberry Pasta Salad with Balsamic Dressing is light and fresh, with lots of flavor. This is a great Summer Salad, or potluck salad. Pasta salad recipes are so versatile and easy to make, with all kinds of yummy ingredients.
Strawberry Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Pasta Salads are my Summer salad go-to. They can be as light or as hearty as you want them to be, and can easily be a meal all on their own.
Can Pasta Salad Be Made the Day Before?
Yes it can. Assemble the salad in the bowl, but don’t toss it (mix it). Then add the vinaigrette dressing and toss just before serving.
Which Pastas are the Best for Pasta Salad?
There are many types of pasta salad recipes out there. For this Strawberry Pasta Salad recipe I like to use bow tie pasta (farfalle).
Other shapes that will work well with this pasta salad recipe are capellini, orzo, and ditalini.
A Versatile Salad Recipe
This pasta salad recipe has several ingredients to make it flavorful, and to give it different textures.
You can swap out what you don’t want in it to make it suit your taste or dietary needs.
Some other ingredients might be:
• Different nuts, or just omit them altogether.
• A different cheese. I like the Greek feta for its tangy flavor and creaminess. You could use cow’s milk feta, which is milder, or another cheese, or omit it.
• Try different greens. I like the mixed Spring greens, but you can use whatever you like.
• Try swapping out the pasta with a grain such as quinoa.
• Bacon or ham, salami, or chicken could be a nice addition of protein.
How Long Does Pasta Salad Keep in the Fridge?
This Strawberry Pasta Salad recipe will keep up to three days in the fridge after it has been mixed with the vinaigrette dressing.
Use an air-tight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. I would not freeze this pasta salad.
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If you make this yummy easy pasta salad recipe, please leave a comment with a star rating below in the comments section. I’d love to know how you liked it!
Strawberry Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- ½ lb Pasta, cooked al dente, drained & cooled (farfalle, cappellini, etc.)
- 1 ½ cup Chopped Strawberries
- 1 cup Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups Mixed Salad Greens (arugula, baby spinach, lettuce etc.)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- ½ Red Onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ cup Feta Cheese Cubes (Greek Feta is more flavorful, tangy)
- ¼ cup Chopped Almonds
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients to make the pasta salad.
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the balsamic vinaigrette. Whisk well.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.
Notes
- Keeps in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Use pasta cooked al dente, so that it does not become too soft after sitting in the dressing.
- The different colored cherry or grape tomatoes add more color to the salad.
- Almonds can be substituted with pine nuts, cashews, etc.
- You could garnish with some fresh chopped herbs such as parsley.
- Add some chili flakes if you want some spice.
Lee Ann Biegert says
This is a fabulous salad. The dressing is divine…although I mixed balsamic with white peach vinegar…just for a bit more brightness. I used Farfalle pasta. We have a few that don’t like nuts, so I put those in a ramekin, should someone want to add to the dish. I have just enough dry salad and cooked pasta to put together a nice lunch for work today!