Zen & Spice

Zen & Spice | Dallas Dietitian Nutritionist | Food Photographer

Garden Party Pasta Salad

Packed with crunchy veggies, ham, cheddar cheese and tossed with zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next picnic or barbecue.

Garden Party Pasta Salad: Packed with crunchy veggies, ham, cheddar cheese and tossed with zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next picnic or barbecue.

I originally shared this recipe in the summer of 2015. It’s an old family favorite! My mom used to make a double or triple batch of this pasta salad and we’d keep the leftovers in the fridge all week. The original recipe has bell peppers and red onion, but since I was making this for Nick and I (he hates onion and we both don’t really like bell peppers), I left them out. I substituted cucumbers for the same type of crunch. 

Garden Party Pasta Salad: Packed with crunchy veggies, ham, cheddar cheese and tossed with zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next picnic or barbecue.

This pasta salad is fantastic to bring to a BBQ or picnic and tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge and the flavors can really marinate together. The carrots and broccoli are boiled with the pasta during the last two minutes of cooking to just slightly cook them so they’re not completely raw. They still have a slight crunch to them. The key is to just barely start cooking them so that they don’t get soggy. This way they’ll stay crisp while stored. 

Garden Party Pasta Salad: Packed with crunchy veggies, ham, cheddar cheese and tossed with zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next picnic or barbecue.

The pasta, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, ham and cheese are tossed in pre-made zesty Italian dressing and left to marinate for about two hours, or overnight, before eating. You can top with an additional sprinkle with shredded parmesan if you want to add even more savory flavor. 

Garden Party Pasta Salad: Packed with crunchy veggies, ham, cheddar cheese and tossed with zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next picnic or barbecue.

Here’s the recipe! 

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Garden Party Pasta Salad

Packed with crunchy veggies, ham, cheddar cheese and tossed with zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next picnic or barbecue.

Servings 6
Author Emily Weeks, RDN, LD

Ingredients

  • 1 12 oz pkg sea shell pasta
  • 2 small broccoli crowns, chopped
  • 4 large carrots, diced
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • .5 lb ham, diced
  • 6 oz cheddar cheese, cubed
  • 1/3 bottle Zesty Italian dressing

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions. In the last two minutes, add the broccoli and carrots. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, ham and cheese.

  3. Pour the dressing into the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I cant believe you take such amazing pictures on your phone- you must show me your ways! Maybe I need to get rid of my crappy iphone camera!- your pics always look so great! Love a good pasta salad in the summer :)

  6. Gorgeous salad!!! It’s so fresh and screams summer! I love the dressing too— lots of flavor I’m sure! PS. I agree with another reader— you should do a tutorial on how to take photos with your phone lol!

    • Thanks Katie :) It’s a great summer salad, always hits the spot. Really, I just take food pictures on the coffee table in my living room that is right by a bright, sunny window. I use a wood base and two white foam boards to reflect the light and get rid of shadows. Afterwards I edit the photos slightly using Polarr, a google chrome extension that is basically Lightroom. I think the key is to take pictures while it’s sunny and using natural light!

    • Thanks Jessica! I just used the camera function on my new phone. It has a “pro” mode where you can adjust ISO, brightness, etc. I have my phone hooked up to Dropbox so pictures are automatically transferred to my computer. Afterwards I use Polarr, a free google chrome extension to edit slightly. I used to use PicMonkey to edit photos, but I’ve found I like Polarr WAY better. :)

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