Creamy Pasta Salad

This Classic Creamy Pasta Salad is such a flavorful side dish. Creamy dressing and crispy diced vegetables mixed with elbow pasta make it oh so delicious.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 7

Servings

Calories 361kcal

Author Dina

Ingredients

Creamy dressing

1 cup Mayonnaise
3/4 cup Sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper to taste

Pasta and vegetables

1 lb elbow macaroni
1/2 cup red onion (about a quarter of a large onion)
2 sticks celery
1 red bell pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start off by making the creamy salad dressing. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
Then dice up the red onion, celery, and bell pepper. You can speed the process up by using a vegetable chopper.
Now cook the pasta according to the package or al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, pour out into a colander and quickly rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Then add the pasta, chopped vegetables, and creamy dressing into a large bowl and toss to combine. Here you can add additional salt according to your liking. Serve chilled.

Notes

Dice the vegetables small- You just want little bites of crunch in this Creamy Pasta Salad, so dice the veggies small. I find a vegetable chopper makes this easier.
Cook the pasta al dente- You don't want the pasta to be too soft because it will need to hold up when mixed with the dressing and vegetables. Al dente leaves it structurally sound.
Rinse the pasta in cold water- Stop the cooking process by rinsing the pasta with cold water. This will also cool the pasta so the dressing won't melt when they're mixed.
Serve chilled- This pasta tastes best when served chilled, so store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.

Nutrition