Simple Spinach Pasta Salad Recipe
Spinach pasta salad perfectly balances greens, vegetables, and pasta with an oil-free balsamic dressing. Not only is this salad filling, but it is also savory and delicious.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 227kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bow-tie whole grain pasta or pasta of choice (gluten-free pasta works as well)
- 12 cups of organic baby spinach
- 1- pint tri-colored grape tomatoes sliced in halves, or cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup purple cabbage
- 1 cup pickled red onions or raw red onions white onions work as well
- 1 zucchini spiralized or cut into coins and cut in halves
- 1 crown broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces (raw or cooked with the pasta for the last 7 minutes and then cooled)
Oil-Free Balasamic Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- I add the broccoli the last 7 minutes of cooking to the pasta instead of eating it raw.
- Immediately drain pasta and run under cold water in a colander under all the pasta is cooled at room temperature.
- Add baby spinach to a large bowl and add all other vegetables and cooled pasta
- Do not dress until ready to toss and serve
Oil-free Balsamic Dressing
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together.
- Pour dressing onto the salad
- Toss and serve into individual bowls
- Serve
Notes
- Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water to lessen cooling time.
- Or, wait until the pasta cools before adding to any of the other ingredients.
- Drain and place picked red onions on a paper towel to remove excess moisture before adding to the salad.
- Use raw red onions instead of pickled red onions.
- Use any shaped pasta, but I suggest a sturdy larger sized pasta opposed to orzo or something smaller.
- Do not dress the salad until right before serving, so the salad doesn't get soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 834mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 6546IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 4mg