The whole thing takes only 20 minutes to throw together, especially since the minimal amount of prep work can be done while the pasta and veggies cook. It’s dressed in a light, bright dressing made of lemon juice and zest, mayonnaise, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil. It’s so good, in fact, that I’m sitting here writing this post at 9 in the morning munching on the leftovers (which, by the way, hold up extremely well!).
This is the second time I’ve made this in two weeks. The first time, I used Banza chickpea pasta, which made it more hearty, higher in protein, gluten-free, and great for a full meal. The second time, I made it as a side along Two-Ingredient Crispy Oven Baked BBQ Chicken for a fun visit from Zoey’s great-grandmother. I had to share this photo with you- it’s just too good. Four generations of Texans in one picture!
With veggie-packed recipes like this, I hope Zach and I will be healthy as we grow old and be able to appear in a photo like this with our great-grandchildren if we have them! The best part about this recipe is how well the leftovers stay in the fridge. Often times, pre-made salads can get soggy over time, since any salt in the dressing will draw out the liquid from the vegetables. Since almost all the veggies in this are already cooked, there is less liquid, and since it’s pasta-based, the noodles continue absorbing any liquid that’s released. It was just as good 3 days later as it was right after I made it!
Since the leftovers are so delicious, this creamy vegetable pasta salad recipe is a perfect thing to make for meal planning lunches all week. Make a batch and add some cooked chickpeas or white beans, chicken, shrimp, or other protein to make it a bit heartier. Or, if you’re making this for a crowd, make it the day or two before and just take it out when you’re ready to serve. Straight from the fridge is fine since it’s best served cold.
I used broccoli, peas, corn, and arugula as the main vegetables in this. It would be delicious with asparagus, edamame, other leafy greens, green beans, zucchini or summer squash… there are so many yummy possibilities. If you use a vegetable that takes longer to cook than the others, add it to the boiling pasta water before the others, as I did with the broccoli in the recipe below. Here’s a nifty chart that can help with figuring out times.
Other Vegetarian Pasta Salad Recipes:
Caprese Pasta Salad Greek Goddess Pasta Salad Greek Pasta Salad with Herb Vinaigrette Pesto Pasta Salad
And be sure to check out these other 20 easy pasta salad recipe ideas. Here you go! Creamy Lemony Vegetable Pasta Salad. Hope you like it :-)
