Creamy Pasta Salad loaded with veggies and tossed in a creamy and cheesy dressing. So easy and simple to make and taste so delicious. My go-to vegetarian pasta salad recipe with full of fresh and flavorful ingredients and is ready under 30 minutes. This is the perfect pasta salad for parties and potlucks! Perfect on its own as a light meal or as a side dish that can grace your table any time of the year.
It’s a super versatile pasta salad recipe. You can essentially use any mix of veggies and herbs you like or have on hand. In addition you can even mix in some meat like shredded chicken or leftover chicken, sausages, bacon, salami, pepperoni etc.
This cold pasta salad is filled with bell peppers, onion, tomato, spring onion, purple cabbage and baby spinach. Everything gets tossed in a light creamy cheesy dressing and the result is a fresh, creamy and cheesy pasta salad with plenty of different flavors.
It is so creamy and cheesy with the crunch coming out from the bell peppers, cabbage and spinach and beautifully flavored with herbs. We love the creamy, cheesy and herb flavored dressing which makes the pasta salad absolutely delicious and scrumptious.
It’s so easy and simple to make. A refreshing salad bursting with flavors. I bet this gonna be your absolute best pasta salad you will ever make. We know you’ll really enjoy this salad. The best part is it’s the perfect salad to add your own spin to it. Throw in your favorite veggies, cook up your favorite pasta, and watch this easy pasta salad disappear.
HOW TO COOK A PERFECT PASTA?
Cooking the perfect pasta is the key to any perfect pasta dish. Start by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season with salt. It’s important to salt the water because this is the ONLY time the pasta gets seasoned. Add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is aldente, which mean It should have a slight bite to it. Pour it into a strainer and immediately rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cool, transfer it to a large bowl.
PASTA SALAD DRESSING
The dressing for this pasta salad is creamy, cheesy and herb flavored, a little bit zing from chillyflakes provides the perfect complement to this salad.
As simple as it is, it’s absolutely perfect, with mayonnaise, cheese, herbs like oregano and fresh parsley, a dash of chilly flakes, a sprinkling of salt add up to a terrific pasta salad dressing that everyone enjoys.
INGREDIENTS FOR CREAMY PASTA SALAD
Let’s see what all you need to make this super easy creamy pasta salad that is great for all occasions.
● Pasta – One can use a variety of pastas for this creamy pasta salad. But prefer to use rotini or fusilli pasta for making salad or any short pasta. The salad looks pretty good with the creamy sauce trap in each pasta.
● Mayonnaise – Used plain mayo for this salad. You can use full-fat mayo or light mayo whichever you prefer. You can also use flavored mayonnaise.
● Cheese – We have used processed cheese. However you can use other variety of cheese like cheddar, cottage cheese, feta, parmesan etc.
● Oregano – For the extra flavor and taste.
● Parsley – Fresh parsley is used here. It gives a beautiful flavor to the salad. You may use other herbs as well.
● Chilly Flakes – Chilly flakes is used for the extra zing of spice to the salad. You can use fresh chilly as well.
● Salt – Regular salt is used. You can use sea salt as well.
● Veggies – Vegetables such as green & yellow bell pepper, tomato, onion, spring onion, purple cabbage and baby spinach is used here. You could use pretty much any veggie you want here and make your own medley.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND TIPS AND TRICKS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
● Be sure to only cook your pasta until aldente, or even just under. You want the pasta to have a good bite to it!
● Overcooking the pasta will result in pasta that becomes mushy and falls apart.
● Sour cream or greek yogurt can also be used.
● Veggies such as broccoli, peas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, iceberg cabbage, rocket leaves etc can be used for creamy pasta salad.
● Sweet corn and avocado can be added to the salad
● You can also add jalapeno pepper and green or black olives to the salad.
● You can also add meat to this creamy pasta salad for making it a heartier dish. Add shredded cooked chicken or any leftover chicken, chopped sausages, salami, bacon, pepperoni etc.
HOW LONG WILL PASTA SALAD LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
Leftover creamy pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 3-4 days. Freezing the pasta salad will.last for longer duration.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CREAMY PASTA SALAD
While it’s delicious on its own, the pasta salad also pairs nicely as a side dish with breads, meat loaf, grilled or baked chicken, fish, pizza etc. Few recipes you might like to try with the creamy pasta salad recipe:
Spiced Potato Stuffed Flower Bread
DInner Roll
Baked Whole Chicken Leg
Homemade No Yeast Pizza
Pizza Stuffed Meat Loaf
Pan Seared Pepper Fish
Crispy Fried Chicken
Spiced Fried Chicken
Spicy Mango Chicken Wings
Garlic And Herbs Prawns
Do you have a look at my pasta mushroom soup recipe, an instant soup recipe using instant pasta.
MORE EASY SALADS RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE TO TRY
▪︎ Dohkhlieh / Meghalayan Pork Salad
▪︎ Wai Wai Noodle Salad
▪︎ Potato Yogurt Salad
▪︎ Boiled Peanut Salad
▪︎ Yardlong Beans Salad
▪︎ Watermelon Pineapple Salad
▪︎ Black Rice Salad
▪︎ Cottage Cheese Salad
All of the above recipes are super easy to prepare, ready in no time, and will never disappoint you.
If you’re hosting a get-together at home or planning for a picnic or potluck with friends, then this easy creamy pasta salad recipe is for you. This is a perfect crowd pleasing meal.
If you haven’t tried the salad yet, I hope that you’ll love it every bit as much as we do. Every time I feel to have something light yet scrumptious food I end up making this salad and it vanishes in no time.
Please do share your thoughts about the recipe with me here, I would love to hear from you. Let’s get started with the recipe.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3-4
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CREAMY CHEESY PASTA SALAD:
Pasta (Fusilli) – 200 gms
Yellow Capsicum – ¼ cup chopped
Green Capsicum – ¼ cup Chopped
Tomato – 1 chopped
Baby spinach – ¼ cup
Red Cabbage – ¼ cup thinly sliced
Onion – 1 small chopped
Spring onion – 2 chopped (both white and green)
Dressing:
Mayonnaise – 3 tbsp
Cheese grated – 3 tbsp
Oregano – ¼ tsp
Chilly flakes – 1 tbsp
Parsley – 1 tsp chopped finely
Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE CREAMY CHEESY PASTA SALAD
Cook the pasta – Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Rinse until the pasta has cooled. Drain well and keep aside. The most important part of making a great pasta dish is cooking the pasta correctly. It should be perfectly aldente, and not mushy at all.
Make the dressing – Simply add the mayonnaise, grated cheese, oregano, chilly flakes, parsley, salt as per taste in a blender and pulse for few seconds. You can also use a bowl and a hand whisk. Whisk everything until smooth. Your creamy cheesy dressing is ready.
Toss everything – In a mixing bowl add the pasta and the veggies – green & yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, baby spinach, purple cabbage and spring onions. Toss until combined. Pour the dressing to it and toss to combine. Taste the salt and add If needed.
You can serve this salad immediately or let it chill for atleast 30 mins and serve.
NOTES:
● Use any variety pasta.
● The should be cooked aldente and not mushy.
● Use veggies of your choice. Few veggies like to mention are cabbages, broccoli, peas, lettuce, iceberg cabbage, cucumber, sweetcorn, jalapeno peppers etc.
● Sour cream or greek yogurt can also be used in creamy pasta salad instead of cheese.
● Use your choice of cheese.
● You can season the salad with pepper.
Creamy Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- pan
- blender
Ingredients
Fo Salad
- 200 grams fusilli pasta
- ¼ cup yellow capsicum
- ¼ cup green capsicum
- 1 medum tomato chopped
- ¼ cup baby spanish
- ¼ cup purple cabbage sliced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 nos spring onion chopped
For Dressing
- 3-4 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 3-4 tablespoon cheese
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon chilly flakes
- 1 teaspoon parsley chopped
- salt as per taste
Instructions
Cook the pasta:
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Drain and immediately rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Rinse until the pasta has cooled.
- Drain well and keep aside. The most important part of making a great pasta dish is cooking the pasta correctly. It should be perfectly aldente, and not mushy at all.
Make the dressing:
- Simply add the mayonnaise, grated cheese, oregano, chilly flakes, parsley, salt as per taste in a blender and pulse for few seconds.
- Alternately you can also use a bowl and a hand whisk. Whisk everything until smooth. Your creamy cheesy dressing is ready.
Toss everything:
- In a mixing bowl add the pasta and the veggies – green & yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, baby spinach, purple cabbage and spring onions.
- Toss until everything is well combined.
- Pour the dressing to it and toss to combine. Taste the salt and add If needed.
- You can serve this salad immediately or let it chill for atleast 30 mins and serve.
Notes
- Use any variety pasta.
- The should be cooked aldente and not mushy.
- Use veggies of your choice. Few veggies like to mention are cabbages, broccoli, peas, lettuce, iceberg cabbage, cucumber, sweetcorn, jalapeno peppers etc.
- Sour cream or greek yogurt can also be used in creamy pasta salad instead of cheese.
- Use your choice of cheese.
- You can season the salad with pepper.
Well, if you make this creamy pasta salad, please do leave a feedback in the comments box below or snap a photo and tag Akum Raj Jamir on Facebook and akumrajjamir on Instagram with hashtag #atmykitchen. I would love to see your creations.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I hope you liked the recipe. Your valuable feedbacks are always welcome, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you.
Happy cooking!
Love Akum
Disclosure: At My Kitchen is an Amazon Affiliate, which simply means that if you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a very small commission at no additional cost to you!
Please click on the image if you wish to purchase these products from Amazon.
DiSano Durum Wheat Pasta, Fusilli, 1 kg (2 x 500g)
Borges Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta, 500g
Dr. OETKER FUN FOODS Veg Mayo (875 g)
OMORTEX Women’s First Choice 10 Pcs Color Measuring Cups and Spoon Set
OMORTEX Kitchen Tools Combo 8 pcs Color Measuring Cups and Spoon Set and Spatula and Brush for Kitchen
Varmora Plastic Mixing Bowl Set of 4 (Assorted Color)
This looks delicious!