It’s that time of year again. The time of year when all I want to eat are cold salads with crunchy vegetables. And since fresh broccoli is one of my favorite crunchy vegetables, I decided to build a pasta salad featuring broccoli and my new favorite homemade salad dressing. This Broccoli Pasta Salad features a tangy homemade tomato vinaigrette, nutty sunflower seeds, savory red onions, and pops of creamy-salty feta. This flavor-texture combo is just magic!
Pasta Options
I used a rotini pasta for this salad because all the little twisty crevices are great at grabbing onto the salad dressing, making sure there’s tons of flavor in every bite. That being said, you could definitely do something like a penne, bowtie, or orecchiette instead. I think the nutty flavor of whole wheat pasta would actually go really well with the flavors in this salad, too.
Salad Dressing Options
I’ve included a homemade tomato vinaigrette with this recipe, but if you’re not a fan of tomato you could do a basic Italian dressing in its place, or something like a champagne vinaigrette. I’d stick to dressings that are light and tangy.
Is the Broccoli Raw??
The last time I posted a salad recipe with raw broccoli, there were quite a few people who were surprised that you could (or that you would want to) eat raw broccoli. Yes, the broccoli in this salad is raw. Raw broccoli is deliciously crunchy but does have a very different flavor from cooked broccoli. If you prefer cooked broccoli, I suggest using roasted broccoli to give an extra flavor boost to the salad.
Broccoli Pasta Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
Servings 4 1.5 cups eachIngredients
Tomato Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.20)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp sugar ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 6 Tbsp olive oil ($0.96)
Salad
- 1/2 lb. rotini pasta ($0.38)
- 1 lb. broccoli ($0.89)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion ($0.16)
- 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds ($0.25)
- 4 oz. feta ($1.65)
Instructions
- Prepare the vinaigrette first. Whisk together the tomato paste, red wine vinegar, basil, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth. Begin to whisk in the olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Set the vinaigrette aside.
- Cook the rotini pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Drain the pasta in a colander. Rinse briefly with cool water to cool off the pasta. Drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut the broccoli florets off the stems, then roughly chop the florets into small, bite-sized pieces. Finely dice the red onion.
- Once the pasta has drained, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the chopped broccoli, red onion, and sunflower seeds. Crumble the feta over top. Drizzle the dressing into the bowl and then gently toss the ingredients until they are evenly combined and everything is coated in dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
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Equipment
Nutrition
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How to Make Broccoli Pasta Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette – Step by Step Photos
Begin the tomato vinaigrette first. Whisk together 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper until smooth.
Begin to whisk in olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, until you’ve incorporated 6 Tbsps. Set the dressing aside.
Next, cook ½ lb. rotini according to the package directions (boil 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Drain the pasta in a colander. Give it a brief rinse to cool it off, then let it drain well.
Chop about 1 lb. of fresh broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces. They don’t have to be pretty florets, just chop away until the pieces are fairly small. Also finely dice about ½ cup red onion.
Once cooled, transfer the pasta to a bowl and add the chopped broccoli, diced red onion, ¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds, and about 4oz. feta.
Pour the tomato vinaigrette over top…
Then gently toss everything together until well combined and everything is coated in dressing. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for later!
Delicious!! I would agree that it needs a skosh more dressing, but this is definitely a winner and we will be repeating it many times in our house!
This was great! And so easy to make! I subbed the broccoli for fresh spinach and I also used a basil paste instead of dried basil in the vinaigrette.
This is like my 5th time making this and I roasted the broccoli as you suggested. WOW! It brings it to the next level! So simple and so good!
This was good but I felt like it was missing something, not sure what. My pasta salad loving toddlers wouldn’t touch it, but my picky husband loved it. I made extra dressing since other reviews said it needed it (I’m glad I did), and cooked the broccoli for about 3 minutes with the pasta because my family doesn’t like raw broccoli. I might try roasting the broccoli next time for more flavor.
I made this yesterday and it was SO good! I roasted the broccoli (in the toaster oven, it’s too hot) so the kids would eat it, and used a combo of red and white vinegar to brighten it up. I served it with a Mediterranean Chicken Burger from Aldi (half per person, they’re big!). This is going to be one of my go to summer meals!Â