In the summer, our meals become lighter. We want something quick and easy in order to resume our day of sitting out in the heat and enjoying the fleeting weather while it lasts. Pasta salad recipes are among the easiest summer lunches anyone could make, and perfect for picnics, BBQs, and just a regular lunch. Here are some personal favorites that literally require none of your energy!
Macaroni Salad
I usually use macaroni salad as a companion to another part of my meal. However, in the summer, it seems to take over as the meal itself!
Cookingclassy.com has a recipe on how to create this easy summer salad. While most macaroni salads commonly have the same ingredients, this recipe also calls for hard boiled eggs, honey, and yogurt.
Greek Pasta Salad
Coming from a Greek background myself, I appreciate any instance that allows me to indulge in feta cheese.
This Greek Pasta Salad recipe from spendwithpennies.com incorporates aspects of a Greek salad and adds in rotini pasta, along with a variety of vegetables. With the burst of flavor that comes with cherry tomatoes, fresh peppers and zucchini, this is a great way to get a good amount of your daily veggies into one meal!
Summer Zucchini Bolognese
The Lazy Cat Kitchen blog has a great recipe for those of us who still want to incorporate sauce into our pasta.
Although this may not seem like a traditional summer pasta salad, it definitely does not stray far from the basic template. For my bolognese lovers out there, this recipe has everything you need; a variety of chopped vegetables, chili flakes, walnuts.. it definitely isn’t boring!
Black Bean And Corn Pasta Salad
For those who opt for a full out spicy moment, this summer pasta salad is the one for you.
From the blog Five Heart Home, this pasta salad recipe calls for only five ingredients. The cooking process involves putting everything together in a bowl and letting cool in the fridge for a few hours. To enjoy the recipe as intended, top it off with cilantro once cooled.
Pasta Salad With Fennel And Smoke Salmon
This seems like an elevated version of a simple pasta salad, but it really is simple to make. The preparation time is only twenty minutes (which is less than an episode of Friends), and the recipe basically instructs you to mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
You will, however, need to go to your local grocery store and purchase some smoked salmon and fennel. This recipes is one of my all-time favorites for the summer. You can find it at iga.net.
Asian Pasta Salad With Sesame Ginger Dressing
The blog Chew Out Loud has a great, quick and easy summer salad recipe for an asian pasta salad. It takes under thirty minutes to make!
I often find myself craving asian flavors, and then opting for seriously unhealthy meals. This salad is a great curb to that craving!
This summer salad gives a delicious contrast between chewy and crunchy, and tastes way less healthy than it actually is. The pasta used is a rotini, but I’ve tried the same recipe with a penne and the results were the same – it tasted fabulous.
Caprese Pasta Salad
I’m going to end with a simple, yet yummy and healthy recipe.
“Caprese” usually means you’re only getting tomatoes and cheese (I’m Italian as well). However, in the blog Delish’s take, the salad is elevated with pasta. Carbs really do make everything better.
The preparation time is fifteen minutes, and the plate is finished off with lots of balsamic vinegar. If you want to be extra, you can also add fresh basil. A little taste of Italy.
