Broccoli Pasta Salad is bright, fresh and, loaded with veggies! This simple to make side dish is also great to enjoy as a light lunch. It’s the perfect recipe to serve at your next cookout, picnic, or potluck and will be the first dish to go when you’re feeding a crowd.
I am always on the lookout for ways to serve broccoli. Around here, we are big fans of this superfood. Whether it’s my Broccoli Apple Salad, Ramen Broccoli Slaw, or Penne Pasta with Broccoli and Parmesan, we don’t really care how it’s served as long as we get our broccoli fix. This salad recipe however, is at the top of my list of favorites!
Since summer is just around the corner and we’ll be eating outside more, I decided a new pasta salad was in order that would be perfect for grilling season. I did a little pantry shopping and found a box of orzo pasta, then I grabbed my bag of beautiful broccoli and that’s when things started to come together.
I added in some tomatoes, onions, and feta cheese, then I whipped up a new zesty pasta salad dressing recipe from ingredients I had on hand. This simple pasta salad recipe is worthy to serve at any meal.
Ingredients Needed To Make Broccoli Pasta Salad
This easy pasta salad is loaded up with “good for you” veggies! It has just the right combination of crispy and crunchy along with cool and creamy textures. The dressing is full of “good fat” from olive oil with a zesty kick from red wine vinegar. Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Pasta Salad
- Cooked pasta
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Grape Tomatoes
- Green Onions
- Feta Cheese
For the Pasta Salad Dressing
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Minced Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make This Pasta Salad Recipe
There’s a little secret to making this dish super yummy. It’s all about the broccoli. It’s roasted to bring out all the natural goodness of the star of the recipe! Here’s how to pull the recipe together:
- Prep the broccoli and roast it in the oven until the tops are slightly charred.
- While the broccoli is roasting, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Slice up the onions and tomatoes.
- Whisk or shake up the dressing.
- Combine everything, give it a good toss then pop it in the fridge until it’s time to serve. How about that for an easy to make, fresh salad?
What To Serve With The Best Pasta Salad Recipe
This salad is excellent to serve at any outdoor gathering since it has a no-mayo dressing. But why limit the ways to serve it? It’s so easy to make that it’s perfect to serve at family gatherings, covered dish suppers, and is great on a buffet when you’re entertaining. Try these recipes alongside Broccoli Pasta Salad:
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups orzo pasta
- 4 cups broccoli, cut into pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 4 green onions – sliced
- 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place broccoli and garlic on pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes until broccoli tops are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- While broccoli is roasting, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- To a large bowl, add cooked pasta, broccoli, tomatoes, green onions and, the feta cheese.
- To a jar with a lid or a small bowl, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and, pepper. Shake or whisk together. Pour dressing over all the ingredients. Toss together.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- ***Can be store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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This is my second recipe of yours that I have made. I always follow a recipe to the tee and then make adjustments as I felt needed. Not with this recipe or the Caprese pasta salad. Perfect in every way!
This was fantastic! My son said it’s his favorite. Such a delicious mixture of great tastes. We’re taking on a camping trip for a light pasta salad in the heat of summer.
Love your recipes Donya! Wish we we neighbors!!!
Hey there Mari-Ann!
Wow! Words can’t express how happy it made me to read this, thank you so very much for your kind words! I am so thrilled you and your son enjoyed this recipe as well as my Caprese Salad, they were always a favorites of my family’s as well. I think this pasta salad is definitely perfect for a camping trip, it’ll be a nice and light dish for the summer heat like you said. Thank you so very much for your support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe feel free to leave a comment! I hope you’re having a great summer!
~Donya
Delicious and light. My family loved it when I brought it to our beach day picnic. Planning to make it again for a potluck meal. Highly recommend this salad. I substituted the feta for cheddar cheese as we aren’t fans of feta cheese.
Very yummy and easy salad.
Thanks so much for sharing Premila. I’m thrilled that you liked the salad.
Have a wonderful day!
~Donya