Oil and Vinegar Veggie Pasta Salad

COOKED PASTA - No matter which shape of pasta you choose (I used medium shells), make sure you use plenty of water and salt in the water to boil the pasta just shy of the package directions.

Also, see below regarding blanching the broccoli florets with the pasta, if desired. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well and place it in a large bowl to cool.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL - While the pasta is still warm, drizzle about one tablespoon of the finest extra virgin olive oil on top of the pasta and stir well to combine.

The flavor of the oil will seep into warm pasta and prevent the pasta from sticking together as it cools.

RED WINE VINEGAR - I used red wine vinegar for this salad, but any vinegar is fine.

The vinegar will help balance, brighten, and elevate the flavor of the chilled veggie and pasta salad just as an oil and vinegar dressing does to a leafy green salad. Cider, white wine, champagne, or even balsamic vinegar are excellent vinegar choices.

BROCCOLI FLORETS - You can certainly add raw broccoli to this salad, but I went one step further and blanched the bite-sized broccoli florets in with the pasta at the end of the cooking time, for 1-2 minutes.

Lightly blanching the broccoli helps take some of the bitter rawness from the flavor and helps to intensify its color.

DICED FRESH CARROTS - The diced fresh carrots will add sweetness, crunch, color, and additional texture to this fresh veggie and pasta salad.

The key to adding fresh carrots to a pasta salad is chopping them into bite-sized pieces so every forkful can have every ingredient in each bite.

GRAPE TOMATOES - Yes, cherry tomatoes can also be used.

You can also use fresh, diced, slicing tomatoes, but those you'll want to blot on paper towels after dicing to remove some of their inner pulp and moisture.

DICED RED ONION - A fresh red onion has a sweetness and oniony bite like no other and is the only onion that is perfect for eating raw. That said, if you're not a fan of red onion or onion at all, feel free to omit this ingredient from the recipe if you prefer.

However, if you enjoy red onion but would like to take its intense flavor down a notch, please see the section below about how to reduce the intensity of red onion.

PARMESAN CHEESE - Freshly grated (or shredded) Parmesan cheese will give you the very best flavor for this salad.

Since this recipe has limited ingredients, you want every element to be of the highest quality and the very best flavor possible. I recommend using Parmigianino Reggiano if you're able.

RED PEPPER FLAKES - You can use as many red pepper flakes or as few red pepper flakes as you like in this recipe.

I used them sparingly but if you love heat, by all means, use more.

FRESHLY CRACKED BLACK PEPPER - I like to run black peppercorns through my spice grinder that is a coffee grinder specifically used for grinding pepper.

Using freshly cracked black pepper is far superior to ground black pepper sitting on a grocery store shelf for who knows how long.

KOSHER SALT - This is my salt of choice for all my cooking and baking needs. I keep my salt in a salt cellar on the kitchen counter and use it freely.

Food without proper seasoning is bland and boring. If you prefer using iodized table salt in your kitchen that's perfectly fine, but please take special note of the gray box below if doing so.

*Important Note—If using table salt instead of kosher salt, please cut back on the amount of salt called for in the recipe card by half because they measure differently due to grain size.

Additional BBQ side dishes you need to know about:

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Cooking hack for blanching broccoli with pasta:

A very quick and helpful tip I have for adding fresh broccoli (or other slightly bitter vegetables) into a pasta salad is to blanch them in with the pasta for the last 90 seconds of cooking time.

The pasta won't overcook, and the broccoli/veggies will mellow slightly in flavor and brighten (in color), making them more palatable for those who don't enjoy eating raw broccoli/veggies.