Pasta Salad
Rotini tossed with diced cucumber, tomato, and a simple oil-and-vinegar dressing with dried herbs. Served cold. Keeps well for two days.
Cook pasta in well-salted boiling water according to package directions, minus 1 minute (it should be just past al dente — it will soften further as it cools in the dressing). Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking and cool quickly.
While pasta cooks, dice the cucumber and tomatoes. If the tomatoes are particularly watery, let them drain briefly in a colander with a pinch of salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, oregano, basil, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper.
Add the drained, cooled pasta to the bowl and toss well to coat in the dressing. Add the cucumber and tomatoes and toss again.
Taste and adjust: more vinegar for tang, more salt, or a pinch more sugar if the dressing is too sharp.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The pasta will absorb the dressing as it sits — if it looks dry after refrigerating, add another drizzle of oil and a splash of vinegar.
No Name 900g pasta bag at $2.00: 450g used = $0.99 at the validated $0.22/100g rate.
- English cucumber at approximately $1.50 each. Regular field cucumbers are cheaper at some times of year.
- Regular tomatoes at about $0.50 each work better here than cherry tomatoes, which cost significantly more.
- This is one of the cheapest recipes on the site. Double the batch for meal prep.
Estimated values per serving.
This recipe can be made gluten-free with substitutions.
- Replace rotini with gluten-free pasta (rice or corn-based) (GF pasta runs $3–4 for 340g; adds $1–2 to total)
All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free. GF pasta works fine in cold salads — just be careful not to overcook it as it can get mushy.