Simple Spinach Pasta Salad Recipe

This spinach pasta salad recipe perfectly balances greens, vegetables, and pasta with an oil-free balsamic dressing. It's filling, savory, and delicious—the perfect summer salad, ready in less than 30 minutes.

Even though I love pasta, I always eat more vegetables than pasta. Therefore, I wanted to make a satisfying salad loaded with vegetables with very little pasta. As a result, I get the best of both worlds! Spinach pasta salad, for instance, is 90% vegetables, and 10% whole grain pasta with an oil-free balsamic dressing. Not only is the spinach pasta salad recipe delicious, but it's also filling! 

Spinach Pasta Salad Ingredients 

When I built this bow tie spinach pasta salad, I used various vegetables I had already prepped during the week. For example, I spiralized zucchini for zoodle pad Thai. Other vegetables I used for the spinach pasta salad recipe include:

• Organic spinach: I love delicate organic spinach. I always buy organic greens because they are on the dirty dozen list.
• Tri-Colored Tomatoes: I always use grape tomatoes or another type of firm tomato for salads, so they have fewer seeds. This prevents the salad from getting soggy.
• Pickled Red Onions: pickled red onions have distinctly tangy, a bit sweet, and crunchy all at the same time
• Broccoli: I like to blanch my broccoli instead of eating it raw. And, you can cook it quickly with the pasta.
• Red Cabbage: Red cabbage, which is purple in color, has beautiful color and a distinctive crunch.
• Zucchini: Spiralized zucchini gives another texture profile to the pasta salad.

Spinach Pasta Salad Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of spinach, try kale or another sturdy green. If using kale, I suggest chopping it finely.
• Use any colored tomatoes.
• If you don't like broccoli, cauliflower is a great substitute. It can also be cooked with pasta to soften it slightly instead of eating it raw.
• Use any cabbage. Napa cabbage is much thinner and more delicate than green or red cabbage.

How to Make The Best Spinach Pasta Salad

1. First, add the spinach to a large bowl and top with the assorted raw vegetables, except the broccoli.
2. Also, I suggest if using pickled red onions to drain them on a paper towel before adding them to the pasta salad.
3. Instead of steaming the broccoli separately, I add the broccoli to the boiling pasta for the last 7 minutes. Not only does it save time, but you also use one pan.
4. Next, rinse the broccoli and the pasta, in cold water, together before adding them to the spinach pasta salad. 
5. Additionally, I suggest making the oil-free balsamic dressing for the spinach pasta salad recipe, but wait to dress until serving.
6. Once the dressing ingredients are whisked together, refrigerate the dressing. Then, wait until the spinach pasta salad recipe is ready to be served. 
7. After dressing the salad, toss the dressing and serve in individual bowls. And don't be surprised if someone asks for more.
8. Furthermore, if you plan to meal prep, serve the dressing on the side. 

If you are looking for a different dressing alternative, try my vegan ranch dressing or oil-free Italian dressing.

Balsamic Dressing Ingredients

As always, the dressing is my favorite part of the salad. I chose a balsamic dressing for this pasta salad recipe because it enhances the taste of the pickled red onions, vegetables, and pasta. 

• Balsamic Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar has a signature, strong scent and flavor that falls somewhere between sour and bitter and is definitely acidic.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar tastes exactly like apples, acid, and vinegar. When combined with balsamic vinegar, and exquisite flavor comes together.
• Dijon Mustard: The tanginess of dijon mustard calms the acidity in the vinegars.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup adds a little sweetness, enhancing the flavors in the dressing.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: A bright citrus addition gives the dressing a fresh taste and a little more sweetness.
• Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning usually consists of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, with other herbs and spices sometimes making an appearance.

Balsamic Dressing Substitutions

• Instead of dijon mustard, stone ground mustard works well.
• Date syrup or agave are great substitutes for maple syrup.
• Although I prefer fresh lemon juice, I choose bottled lemon juice.
• Fresh herbs replace dried herbs in recipes.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Don't dress the pasta salad until right before serving, or the spinach will get soggy.
• Do not add noodles to the raw vegetables until the noodles are cool.
• If meal prepping, toss the dressing into the warm noodles and broccoli, store separately in a container and add the raw vegetables before serving.
• Choose gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free option.

This bowtie spinach pasta salad recipe is a great quick summer meal, perfect for a hot summer day or night!

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