Easy Marinated Mushroom Pasta Salad is full of aromatic vegetables, olives and penne pasta. It is tossed in a simple olive-mustard vinaigrette and is perfect for picnics or potlucks.
Pasta Salads are a must for summer entertaining. Whether you're doing a backyard BBQ or going on a picnic, this Marinated Mushroom Pasta Salad is sure to hit the spot.
The colorful salad is so easy to make but packs a serious flavor punch. Herb-marinated mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and pasta equals delicious.
Ingredients
My favorite thing about this Mushroom Pasta Salad Recpie is that it's chock-full of colorful vegetables. Some of them are marinated, some are pickled. They all contribute to juiciness and delicious taste of this hearty side dish.
- mushrooms - to make the ingredient list available for everyone, I made this salad with Portobello mushrooms. You may use buttons mushrooms or even Shiitake, they'll make the salad even more flavorful
- marinade and dressing essentials - olive oil and vinegar
- garlic - flavor booster
- herbs - I used a combination of herbs: dill went into the marinade and cilantro into the salad
- pasta - any pasta that you have at home
- bell pepper - for crunch
- condiments - mustard, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. I imagine capers would be a great addition too. Because of the same tangy flavor, you can swap capers for olives
- salt, pepper
Recipe Variations
As with any pasta salad, there's always a room for personalisation. In this recipe I really loved the combination of marinated mushrooms with tangy olives and sweet and chewy sun-dried tomatoes.
In case you're up for customisation, here are some of my favorite variations:
- to add a pop of color, stir in a few cups of spinach
- add a few tablespoons of fresh mint
- zest in one lemon
- stir in steamed asparagus or green beans
Storing
Add this healthy pasta salad to air-proof container and store in a refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
This salad is best when consumed cold or at room temperature so no need to reheat it.
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Marinated Mushroom Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the mushrooms
For the salad
- 12 oz Penne pasta or any other pasta that you have
- ½ c red bell pepper finely diced, Note 2
- 1 c sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil drained and chopped
- 1 ½ c green olives halved, Note 1
- ½ c cilantro chopped
For the dressing
- ¼ c olive oil
- 4 teaspoon red wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
To make marinated mushrooms
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add mushrooms and cook on a medium low heat for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, dill and salt. Drain mushrooms and add them to a bowl with marinade. Set aside for at least 2 hours or overnight.
To make a dressing
- In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
To assemble the salad
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, add Penne pasta and cook for 10 to 13 minutes or until well done.
- Drain pasta and add it to a bowl with marinated mushrooms along with red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to combine. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Mona says
Love this recipe! I was looking for a different pasta salad to make for the summer and this has exceeded my expectations. Definitely making this again. We're excited to play around with the ingredients and make it our our. Love all the flavors.
Iryna says
Mona, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe!