This Mostaccioli Pasta Salad recipe combines a delicious homemade dressing with pasta, cucumber, onion and pimento to make a delicious cold salad. This pasta salad will accompany what you've got in the oven or on the grill!
This recipe is from my mother-in-law. Anyone who tasted this delicious pasta salad asked her for the recipe and she willingly gave it out! Holidays didn't happen without this pasta salad on the table, but we also had it throughout the year because it is a yummy summer salad as well! This is one of our family's favorite recipes and I hope you like it just as much as we do!
What You Need
Mostaccioli Pasta
Medium Cucumber
Medium Onion
Pimento
Parsley
Prepared Mustard
Garlic Powder
White Sugar
Cider Vinegar
Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
More Delicious Pasta Salads
Tips for Mostaccioli Pasta Salad Recipe
If you are unable to find Mostaccioli pasta, then Penne pasta is a great substitute
Not a fan of pimentos, try adding green or black olives
Green onions work well in this recipe
Other optional veggies include cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, green pepper or red pepper, and fresh basil
Parmesan cheese can be added for additional flavor
Be sure you start out with a large bowl so you have room to stir the pasta
How to Make Mostaccioli Pasta Salad
Put the uncooked mostaccioli pasta on to cook, cut the vegetables and prepare the dressing. Three easy steps, but the wait to eat it is the hard part!
Step 1: Cook the Mostaccioli pasta for 12 minutes or according to package directions. Drain pasta water and run cold water over the pasta, then set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl that has a lid with a tight seal, add the diced and seeded cucumber, diced onion, pimento and parsley and mix to combine. Add the pasta when cool.
Step 2: For the dressing, in a medium pan combine dressing ingredients by adding the prepared mustard, garlic powder, white sugar, cider vinegar, salt, black pepper and oil to your pan. Bring this mixture to a boil. Adjust to low heat and allow to simmer for five minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Once the dressing has cooled, add it to the vegetable and cooked pasta mixture. Put the lid on the bowl and turn the bowl over to allow the liquid to cover the pasta and vegetables (this is why you need a bowl with a lid that has a good seal!). Continue to rotate the bowl until everything is fully covered. There will appear to be too much liquid, but the pasta will absorb the liquid while refrigerated.
Step 3: Keep the pasta salad refrigerated for 24 hours before serving and continue to give the pasta salad a shake every few hours because the dressing will settle to the bottom.
What to Serve with Mostaccioli Pasta Salad
The Mostaccioli Pasta Salad goes well with any meat, but we really like it with ham. The sweetness of the Mostaccioli Pasta Salad combined with the salty ham is amazing!
How to Store Mostaccioli Pasta Salad
Store leftovers in an airtight container (with a good seal) for up to 2-3 days. Continue to rotate the leftovers to keep the dressing moving. It gets better with time!
This easy pasta dish is a delicious side dish everyone will love! I hope you give this Mostaccioli Pasta Salad a try because it may be a crowd pleaser for you, like it was for my mother-in-law!
If you make this recipe, I would loive to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of this page! Make sure you follow me on Facebook and Instagram too! Thank you for reading Forkin' Good Recipes!
