Texas Spicy Summer Pasta Salad
20 min
10 min
30 min
6
Our Spicy Summer Pasta Salad is a vibrant, flavor-packed salad that adds a kick to your traditional pasta salad. It’s bursting with fresh vegetables like cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, colorful bell peppers, and tangy red onion. The star of the show is the homemade spicy dressing that brings together the rich flavors of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a hint of heat from the red pepper flakes. It’s the perfect side dish for your summer BBQ or picnic, a refreshing and zesty partner to grilled meats or fish. Alternatively, it can be enjoyed as a standalone light lunch or dinner on those hot summer nights when you want a meal that’s filling yet not too heavy.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (about 3 cups) of your favorite pasta (bow tie or rotini works well)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives
For the Spicy Dressing
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust according to your heat preference)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until it’s al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water until cool. This stops the cooking process and cools it down for the salad. Set aside.
- Prepare the Veggies: While the pasta is cooking, prepare your vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and bell peppers, thinly slice the red onion, and set aside.
- Prepare the Dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes. Whisk until well combined. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Combine the Salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, crumbled feta cheese, and sliced Kalamata olives.
- Dress the Salad: Pour the spicy dressing over the pasta salad. Toss until all the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
- Chill: Cover the salad and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve: After chilling, give the salad one more good toss and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve cold and enjoy your spicy summer pasta salad!
Note: If you want to add some protein, grilled chicken or shrimp would pair well with this salad. For a vegan option, replace the feta with a plant-based cheese or simply omit it.