This tricolore fusilli pasta salad has quite a few veggies in it that bring a great balance in flavor and texture. It’s dairy-free and can easily be made vegan by replacing the mayonnaise with a vegan one of your preference or a homemade one. It will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare it and serve a big group. That makes it perfect for little barbecues and gatherings when you need a few simple salad dishes to go with your main or meat.
Along with the peas, sweetcorn and carrot that give the fusilli salad a sweet taste, I like to add some pickled cucumbers or gherkins. The pickles with the acidity from the vinegar and their crunchiness, add texture and that extra kick to the salad that you will absolutely love! So unless you are not a fan AT ALL of the pickles, this is a must-have ingredient for this fusilli pasta salad.
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Why you should try my recipe
- Very easy and quick to make.
- Perfect for a quick lunch and quite filling.
- You could easily make it vegan by substituting the mayonnaise with a vegan one.
- Great side dish for your main and for barbecues.
Ingredients & How-to
The ingredients you will need for this fusilli pasta salad are: fusilli, green onions, peas, sweetcorn, bell peppers, pickled cucumbers, carrot, mayonnaise, fresh dill and salt & pepper.
01. I start with boiling some water with salt for the fusilli pasta. When I start seeing bubbles, I add the pasta to the water and cook according to package instructions. I like to use tricolore fusilli pasta when I make this pasta salad as I like all these different colors in my pasta bowl. You could use tricolore or plain fusilli pasta, whatever you have in your pantry.
02. In a different pot, I boil some water and add the peas and sweetcorn. I just cook them lightly till fork tender and not really mushy. We want them to keep their texture and crunchiness. I use frozen peas and sweetcorn that I always have in my freezer. You could substitute them with canned ones or even fresh and cook accordingly.
03. While the pasta, peas and sweetcorn are being boiled, it’s time to chop and cut all the vegetables. I’m using green onions for the fusilli pasta salad that I cut into thin slices. Then, I peel and grate one large carrot, finely cut some fresh dill and cut 2-3 bell peppers into cubes. I also like to add some pickled cucumbers or gherkins to the salad as they add some extra flavor with their acidity and give a nice kick to each bite. If you are not a fan of fresh dill and you find its taste and aroma too much for you then you could replace it with some finely chopped parsley or simply leave it out.
04. Now, that everything is chopped and cooked, I like to gather all my ingredients around before mixing them. On top of all the vegetables and fusilli pasta, I’m using 1 cup of mayonnaise to bind everything together. You could use any type of mayonnaise you like, full fat, light or even vegan for a vegan fusilli pasta salad.
05. In a big bowl, I start adding all the ingredients and gently mix them together. I season the salad just with some salt and freshly ground pepper to balance all the flavors. When the fusilli pasta salad is ready, you could either serve it immediately or leave it in the fridge to get cooler before serving. Personally, I like it nice and cold from the fridge after it’s rested for half an hour.
Substitutions
- You could substitute the mayonnaise for a vegan one of your choice.
- You could substitute the fresh dill with fresh parsley.
- You could use frozen, fresh or canned peas and sweetcorn.
Serving suggestions
We usually have this fusilli pasta salad as a side dish with our main or as a light lunch on its own. It’s quite filling because of the pasta. It’s also perfect for barbecues and little gatherings of friends and family. Everyone is going to love it!
Storage
You could store the fusilli pasta salad with mayonnaise in the fridge for up to 3 days. I personally like it cold, straight out of the fridge. I haven’t tried freezing it as we consume with a couple of days and it’s so easy and quick to make. So let me know in the comments if you ever attempt to make it and freeze it.
FAQ
To make the fusilli pasta salad vegan, you could replace the mayonnaise with a vegan one of your preference or a homemade vegan one.
Instead of fusilli pasta, you could use farfale or macaroni pasta for this pasta salad dish.
You could store the fusilli pasta salad in the fridge and consume within 3 days.
Recipe
Fusilli Pasta Salad With Mayo
This fusilli pasta salad is full of colors from the peas, sweetcorn, carrot and peppers. The pickled cucumbers give it a nice little kick with the acidity. Great salad dish for barbecues, as a side to your main or for gatherings. Everyone is going to love it. Enjoy!
6 servings
15 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups fusilli pasta
- 3 bell peppers
- ½ cup peas
- ½ cup sweetcorn
- 2-3 green onions
- 1 carrot
- 3 pickled cucumbers
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- a bunch of fresh dill
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in a large pot until cooked. Boil the peas and sweetcorn until fork soft but not too mushy.
- Remove the seeds and cut the bell peppers into cubes. Cut the pickled cucumbers into cubes. Peel and grate the carrot.
- Cut the green onions into slices. Finely cut the fresh dill.
- In a big bowl add all the ingredients, the cooked pasta, peas and corns, the peppers, pickles, carrot, green onions, fresh dill.
- Add the mayonnaise to the bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Gently mix everything well.
Notes
- You could use vegan or full fat or light mayonnaise, up to your preference.
- You could use frozen, fresh or canned peas and sweetcorn and cook accordingly.
- If you don't have fusilli tricolore, you could use plain fusilli or farfale pasta.
Storage
If you have any leftover fusilli pasta salad, you could store it in the fridge and consume within 3 days.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
