Have some fun with an explosion of colour with this red and green festive pasta salad! Perfect for feeding a crowd, it's your new go-to pasta salad.
Quick and easy to make, it's bound to please even the fussiest salad eater.
Why you're going to love this salad
- it's easy to make
- make it in advance
- fun flavours that everyone loves
- it's so colourful
- packed full of veggies
Cooking the pasta and broccoli together
This doesn't just save time, it saves water and your patience! I cook the pasta for the recommended time on the packet and set a timer for 4 minutes before the end. When that timer goes off- I dump the broccoli in with the cooking pasta and cook it for 4 minutes. I then drain it all together.
Make in advance salads
Salads you can make in advance are the best! Whether you're after a potato salad, a green veggie salad or a rainbow pasta salad, there are heaps on the blog to get you prepping in advance- and we all know that when it comes to festive occasions the only way to cook gets to see the guests is if everything is done in advance!
Ingredients
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for amounts and full method!
- mayonnaise (make your own or storebought)
- cherry tomatoes- they are so yummy at this time of year
- cabbage you can use any colour but I love purple cabbage in this salad
- broccoli, remove the stem and chop into florets
- spring onions- slice them thinly
- mint- only needs to be roughly chopped
- pasta- I used macaroni- but any small type of pasta will work
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook per the packet instructions, setting a timer for 4 minutes before the end.
- Add the broccoli to the post and cook for 4 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli and allow to cool (either by running under cold water, or in the fridge).
- Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the cabbage into slivers, chop the mint roughly and thinly slice the spring onions. Pop them all in a large bowl.
- Add the cooled pasta and broccoli to the other chopped veggies and mix well with the mayonnaise.
Substitutions
- Swap the broccoli for green beans, asparagus or even cauliflower.
- Mint can be swapped for parsley, basil or fresh oregano.
- Cabbage can be any colour.
Storage
Store in the fridge once made for 2 days. Make sure to give it an extra mix before serving as the mayonnaise can drop to the bottom of the bowl.
Serve it with
Perfect with your Christmas dinner- whether it's ham, turkey, pork, chicken, or even seafood. This salad is just as great at a bbq, the colours are so bright and fun that it has a real wow factor!
Red and green festive pasta salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 250 grams cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ purple cabbage chopped into slivers
- 2 heads broccoli chopped into florets
- 3 spring onions
- 3 sprigs mint
- 400 grams pasta
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook per the packet instructions, setting a timer for 4 minutes before the end.
- Add the broccoli to the post and cook for 4 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli and allow to cool (either by running under cold water, or in the fridge).
- Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the cabbage into slivers, chop the mint roughly and thinly slice the spring onions. Pop them all in a large bowl.
- Add the cooled pasta and broccoli to the other chopped veggies and mix well with the mayonnaise.
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