I love pasta salad. It’s one of those meals (or side dishes) you can customize a million different ways, it’s easy to make, and it makes great leftovers.
What’s not to love?! So, I thought I’d share my favorite three easy pasta salad dressing recipes.
The three pasta salad dressings I use most often are homemade balsamic, Italian, and a creamy option. These all go well with about 8-10 ounces of cooked pasta plus whatever other ingredients you are throwing in.
I most often use one of the two oil-based dressings, but if I’m making a pasta salad that has more vegetables/crunch, then I often opt for the creamy (like this creamy winter pasta salad).
You can customize these three dressings further if you want to add a handful of chopped fresh herbs or a little heat with some red pepper flakes or cayenne.
And if you’re mostly still reading because you want to know where I bought that rainbow pasta, here it is. 🙂
The basic recipe for pasta salad is cooked pasta, one of these dressings, a few chopped vegetables (cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, broccoli, etc.), some cheese, and a few chopped fresh herbs.
Sometimes I’ll add pepperoni if I’m feeling wild. Ha. Enjoy! xo. Emma
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Ingredients
Creamy Dressing:
- ¼ cup mayo
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt + pepper
Balsamic Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon mustard (dijon)
- salt + pepper
Italian Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Instructions
- For each of the dressings, simply combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
Perfect summer recipe for guests.
How much dry pasta do you cook?? Thanks!
For any of these I usually cook 10 ounces of pasta to go with it. But you could do anywhere from 8-12 ounces, especially if you add other things to your pasta salad like cucumbers or olives, etc.
I made a pasta salad with the Italian dressing. It was delicious and easy. I like the flexibility of making a pasta salad with whatever veg I have on hand with one of these dressings.