{"id":2775,"date":"2026-03-29T10:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T10:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=2775"},"modified":"2026-03-29T10:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T10:57:21","slug":"the-perfect-pasta-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/the-perfect-pasta-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"The Perfect Pasta Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The Perfect Pasta Salad (Fresh, Colorful, Crowd-Pleaser)<\/h2>\n<p>A bright, zesty pasta salad loaded with crisp veggies, creamy cheese, and a bold homemade dressing. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, or meal prep.<\/p>\n<h3>Ingredients<\/h3>\n<p><strong>For the salad<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>500 g short pasta (rotini, penne, or fusilli)<\/li>\n<li>1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved<\/li>\n<li>1 cup cucumber, diced<\/li>\n<li>1 red bell pepper, diced<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 red onion, very thinly sliced<\/li>\n<li>1 cup black olives, sliced<\/li>\n<li>1 cup mozzarella pearls (or diced mozzarella)<\/li>\n<li>1\/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped<\/li>\n<li>1\/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For the dressing<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1\/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil<\/li>\n<li>1\/4 cup red wine vinegar<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon Dijon mustard<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)<\/li>\n<li>1 clove garlic, very finely minced<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon dried oregano<\/li>\n<li>Salt and black pepper to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Instructions<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Cook the pasta<\/strong> in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking. Shake off excess water and let it cool.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prep the vegetables<\/strong> while the pasta cools: chop tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, olives, and herbs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make the dressing<\/strong>: whisk olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until emulsified.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Assemble<\/strong>: in a large bowl, combine pasta, vegetables, olives, cheese, and herbs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dress<\/strong>: pour the dressing over and toss gently until everything is well coated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chill<\/strong> for at least 30\u201360 minutes before serving for the best flavor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Taste and adjust<\/strong> salt, pepper, or a splash of vinegar before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Tips for the Best Flavor<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Salt the pasta water well; it\u2019s your only chance to season the pasta itself.<\/li>\n<li>Slice the onion very thin so it doesn\u2019t overpower.<\/li>\n<li>Add a spoonful of dressing just before serving to refresh the salad.<\/li>\n<li>Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Easy Add-Ins<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Grilled chicken, tuna, or salami<\/li>\n<li>Chickpeas for a vegetarian protein boost<\/li>\n<li>Feta instead of mozzarella<\/li>\n<li>A pinch of chili flakes for heat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Perfect Pasta Salad (Fresh, Colorful, Crowd-Pleaser) A bright, zesty pasta salad loaded with crisp veggies, creamy cheese, and a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2777,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2775\/revisions\/2777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}