Garden Pasta Salad

My friend Rebecca makes an amazing cucumber pasta salad every summer. I can’t get enough! This year I asked for her recipe, and decided I would tweak it – just a little bit. Here’s the result of the tweaking, and I’m pretty excited about it!



Start with 2 medium cucumbers and 1 pint of grape tomatoes. Peel and slice the cucumbers, as thick or as thin as you want. Cut the grape (or cherry) tomatoes in half.


Cook 1 box of bow-tie pasta, following the package directions. This is a cold pasta salad, so you’ll probably want the pasta cooked tender rather than al dente. Drain the pasta, and put it in a large bowl (you’ll want plenty of room for tossing).


While the pasta is cooking, mix up the sauce for the pasta salad. It’s pretty simple – 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1-1/2 cups sugar. Give it a whisk to get most of the sugar dissolved.


Add the veggies to the pasta, and pour the sauce over the mixture.


Give it a good toss to get the veggies and pasta mixed up, and to get an even coating of the sugary-vinegar sauce.


Then the herbs – fresh out of your herb garden, if you have them – 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of green onions. (Basil would also be good in this, maybe in place of the cilantro. Or dill. Experiment!)


Refrigerate, and serve cold. That’s it! Super easy to put together, and so yummy for summer time!



Here is a printable recipe card for you…


Enjoy!

What other garden veggies will you try in this garden pasta salad this summer? I’m thinking bell peppers will be great once I have a few ready!