It’s already July?!? Where has this year gone? It’s almost July 4th! Which means, celebrations are ahead. And with the way 2020 has gone so far, I’d say we all need a little celebration for some #positivevibes.
July 4th means cookouts, boat riding, tubing. hiking, fireworks, and time with family. And everything that surrounds the festivities, at least in my family, is good food. This year, our family is going to enjoy a long weekend at our secluded mountain cabin. So there will be lots of time spent outdoors and with any Coggins gathering, lots of food.
Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad
While grilling is always a go-to option for Independence Day, there also needs to be side dishes that are not so heavy. After all, it is July and the weather is crazy hot in NC this time of year.
If you have been following me on IG (and if you don’t, you definitely should) you would know that Stephen and I are drowning in garden vegetables. I’m not complaining. I love eating fresh vegetables that I have grown myself but I didn’t anticipate my green thumb when I planted waaaaay too many tomato and cucumber plants. So I created an easy and delicious vegetable pasta salad to use up some of our fresh garden veggies. This dish will go great with anything you are grilling.
I picked cucumber and tomatoes to be the stars of this dish because I have too many but also because most anyone who grows a garden will have both of these vegetables. It was not created to be spicy. But if you have a fresh jalapeno from the garden you want to use up, chop it up and throw it in this dish too!
PrintGarden Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 Minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 8oz box gluten free pasta (I use lentil or chickpea pasta)
- 1 1/2 cup cucumber
- 3/4 cup grape tomatoes*
- 1/2 chopped kalamata olives (optional)
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (approx. 1/2 a lemon)
- pinch of pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon honey or vegan sweetener
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to box directions. I cook mine until it’s al dente.
- While pasta is cooking, half tomatoes or chop into 1/4 pieces if using large tomatoes. Also, slice cucumber into 1/4 pieces and half olives.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Place everything for the dressing in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Place sliced cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and pasta into a large bowl.
- Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss to coat.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate and eat later.
Notes
* If you have large garden tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes you can use those as well. Pasta will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to one week. I do not recommend freezing.
