Bursting with a lemony herb dressing, this Gluten-free Pasta Salad with Artichoke is cold, refreshing, and a definite crowd-pleaser. This recipe can easily be made ahead of time, and it’s as easy as tossing all of the ingredients into a bowl and mixing it.
It costs about $12.91 to make ten servings of this pasta salad. That is just $1.29 per serving.
If you are looking for another gluten-free pasta option, I recommend this Pumpkin Pasta Sauce.
Pasta salad is a classic summertime recipe that you can now enjoy as a gluten-free option with a healthy, homemade dressing that everyone will love.
Make this Gluten-Free Pasta Salad recipe for your next BBQ, potluck, light dinner, or even for lunch during your workday. It is a quick and easy side dish perfect for summer when you do not want to spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen!
I used various colorful vegetables like artichokes, cherry tomatoes, vibrant purple cabbage, cooling cucumbers, crunchy carrots, crisp bell peppers, spinach, radish, and onion. By all means, if you do not have all of these vegetables or if you do not like one, feel free to use what you have on hand AND use what best suits your pallet.
Ingredients and Cost
RECIPE COST: $12.91
PRICE PER SERVING: $1.29
- 16 oz gluten-free pasta – $3.36
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes – $2.88
- 2 cups cucumbers – $0.64
- ½ cup chopped carrots – $0.07
- 2 cups spinach – $0.42
- ½ cup purple cabbage – $0.14
- ⅓ cup onion – $0.21
- 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts – $2.49
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons kosher salt – $0.16
- ½ cup EVOO – $1.16
- ½ cup lemon juice – $0.52
- 1 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses – $0.30
- 1 teaspoon oregano – $0.05
- ½ cup cilantro – $0.48
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder – $0.03
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
Instructions
- First, chop the veggies. Then, cook the pasta and run it through a colander when it is done cooking.
- Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Using another mixing bowl, make the dressing.
- To finish, add the veggies to the pasta and then add in the dressing and toss to combine all of the ingredients before serving.
Recipe Variations
- No cherry tomatoes? Use grape, heirloom, Roma or any sweet tomato you can find.
- This salad would also taste delicious with Bulgarian soft cheese or Greek dried cheese. You can also you grated parmesan cheese in it.
- I’ve also use basil in this gluten free pasta salad instead of cilantro.
- To make this pasta saald into a main course you can add beans, lentils, or meat.
Storage Tips
SERVE: You can keep this pasta salad out for about two hours before it needs to be refrigerated.
STORE: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
FREEZE: A few of the chopped fresh ingredients do not freeze and defrost well. Therefore, I do not recommend freezing this pasta salad recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. When the pasta is rinsed in cold water, it stops the cooking process.
I used Fusilli certified gluten-free pasta from Wegmans Organic. It’s a brown rice pasta, and it held up really well in the pasta salad. It was chewy and tender, just the way I like it.
When boiling pasta, don’t forget to season the water really well with kosher or any course sea salt. That’s the chance to season the pasta well. The water should be salty like the sea, so dump it in!
There are two secrets to flavorful pasta salad every time. One, make sure to have an out-of-this-world dressing (practical, right?). Two, always use plenty of salt!
Because pasta salad is a cold dish, our taste buds naturally cannot taste that much flavor on our tongue. That is why salting generously and having a tasty dressing is key.
A pasta salad is perfect for bringing to a pot-luck as it goes well with many different foods. It complements most meats. Here are a few meals I like to make alongside this pasta salad:
Oven-Baked Boneless Chicken Breasts
Gas Grill Chicken Breasts
Crockpot Whole Chicken
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Strip Steak
Grilled Steak Kabobs
It is best to make this pasta salad the day of or the day before you plan to eat it. Making it any further in advance will result in soggy veggies before it is time to serve it.
My favorite pasta shape for a cold salad is fusilli, orzo, and penne. They all taste the same, just a different shape.
More Salad Recipes
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Creamy Cucumber and Avocado Salad
- Quinoa Kisir Salad
- Fall Spinach Salad
- Dandelion Salad with Avocado Caesar Dressing
- Spicy Buckwheat Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Brussel Sprout Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
Delicious Gluten-free pasta salad with artichokes that is bursting with rainbow colors and tossed in a lemony herb dressing that can feed a crowed.
- 16 oz gluten-free pasta
- 2 cup cherry tomatoes sliced into halves
- 2 cups cucumber small dice
- ½ cup finely chopped carrots
- 2 cups roughly chopped spinach
- ½ cup finely chopped purple cabbage
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 tbsp kosher salt to season the pasta water
- 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts drained
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice about 2 large lemons
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
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Chop, slice, and dice all the vegetables, herbs, and have them ready. Having all the ingredients prepared will make everything 10x easier. When ready, let’s cook the pasta next.
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Cook the gluten-free pasta according to the manufacturer’s instructions (my pasta needed 4 quarts of water, a generous handful of salt, and cook time took approximately 10-12 minutes.)
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After the pasta has cooked in a well-seasoned pot of water, transfer the pasta into a colander, and gently run cold water over it to help stop the cooking process. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. While the pasta continues to cool, let’s make the dressing.
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In a mixing bowl, add the extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic powder, oregano, cilantro or parsley, salt and pepper, and whisk until a creamy homogenized dressing forms (set aside). Now let’s put it all together.
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Add all of the pre-chopped vegetables to the bowl with the cooled pasta and the artichokes. Add the dressing and toss until all of the ingredients are well- combined.
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Serve or cover the pasta salad and refrigerate until ready to serve.
No cherry tomatoes? Use grape, heirloom, Roma or any sweet tomato you can find.
Which Cucumbers? Feel free to use seedless English cucumbers, seeded cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers.
This salad would also taste delicious with Bulgarian soft cheese or Greek dried cheese.
This pasta looks incredible and so delicious! So many vibrant colors and we can’t wait to try this for lunch today! Excited for all this flavor!
This is exactly what I was looking for for my Memorial Day party! I LOVE artichokes and they need to be in everything, IMO. LOL
What a vibrant and delicious looking salad. I love the addition of artichoke.
Delicious! Very sharp flavors! Loved it!
This pasta screams comfort as I cannot wait to make it this week as part of my meal prep.