This Parmesan Pasta Salad is tossed with blanched asparagus, corn and sun-dried tomatoes and tossed in a creamy Parmesan Dressing. Adding Parmesan cheese to the mayonnaise and sour cream sauce adds another level of flavor! This will be a summer salad recipe you will make for years to come.
So fresh and delicious, this parmesan pasta salad is perfect for any gathering, no matter what time of year it may be. And, you will be guaranteed that you will be asked for this recipe over and over again!
We love summer salad recipes!
Most people love a delicious summer salad recipe. Grumpy is no exception! He loves the tuna fish and green pea version of macaroni salad the most. He also loves Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad recipe.
Parmesan Pasta Salad is different than most pasta salad recipes. It has the tang of sun-dried tomatoes with a fresh bite of freshly blanched asparagus. This Pasta Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing was a huge hit with Grumpy!
What you need to know for making a perfect Pasta Salad!
- Always rinse your hot cooked pasta with cold water when you plan to eat it in a cold salad! Rinsing in cold water will stop the pasta from cooking. Similar to shocking your vegetables in cold water, your pasta will keep its toothsome texture when you do this.
- Pasta is going to soak up moisture. Because of this, if you have leftovers you need to refrigerate, your salad can seem dry the next day. The easy solution to this is to add a little more mayonnaise until it is creamy enough for you.
- Mayonnaise on its own can have a “heavy” taste and feel to it. I freshen this dish up more by using half mayonnaise and half sour cream in the dressing mixture.
- I like the results of this recipe with dried Parmesan Cheese. Your dressing will be “looser” if you go with fresh cheese over dried.
How to make Parmesan Pasta Salad
Cook your pasta: I recommend rotini pasta as I love the way the dressing catches up in the spirals. Cook your pasta according to the package your product came in.
Remove the cooked pasta from your hot water by using a slotted spoon and place in a strainer. Immediately rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking. Do not drain the water from the pasta. You will use this water to blanch your vegetables.
Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice cold water to shock it and stop it from cooking. Once cold, remove from water and drain.
Add corn to boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice cold water to shock it and stop it from cooking. Once cooled, remove from water and cut kernels of corn from the corn cob. See tips below for how to cut the kernels from the cob.
Place your salad ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make the parmesan dressing and add it to your salad ingredients. Once the dressing has coated your salad, refrigerate until ready to eat.
How to strip the corn from the cob
- Place the corn, stem side down on a sturdy cutting board.
- Holding the top end of the corn, using a sharp knife, start at the top and cut downward using a sawing motion.
- Continue to cut down the ear of corn until all kernels have been removed from the cob.
More Summer Salad Recipes you may love!
Pasta Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1/2 lb dried fusilli pasta
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato cut into thin strips
- 2 ears fresh corn on the cob blanched, cold shocked and stripped from cob
- 1 lb asparagus blanched, cold shocked, and cut into bite sized pieces
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large garlic clove finely grated
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold water. Prep your veggies and mix into pasta. Set aside to combine dressing. Combine dressing ingredients and fold into pasta mixture. Chill, serve, & enjoy!
This is definitely something I would love to try Shelby!
Perfect for the 4th of July nice job!
Looks good.
Okay, so why won't you eat a hot dog? Just wondering because I won't either–probably haven't had one for about 20 years.
Hi HoneyB! 🙂 You may not think that salad looks pretty, but it looks delicious to me!
Hope your summer is going great. I just signed up for the Secret Recipe Club I found on your blog. 🙂
Katrina, I don't like them that much – and the only one I even am willing to put near my lips is a Hoffman Hot and then I tend to pass them by too and will go with a veggie dog. Mostly because I grew up in a home with a vegetarian mom and had both veggie dogs and regular ones….and always preferred the veggie. (taste wise!)
Hi Linda! Great to see you again and glad your in the SRC now! Maybe we will get paired, that would be awesome! 🙂 Miss you!
I could definitely live on pasta and that pasta salad sounds just wonderful! I wanted to invite you to come over and share your recipe at These Chicks Cooked Recipe Spotlight today. Have a great day 🙂
Katie
Cute story about your daughter-in-law. It sounds as though she hit the mark with this pasta salad.
My kiddos would LOVE this! Wonderful recipes. 🙂
Great recipe. I love Parmesan cheese and this is such a clever way to taste all its goodness!
I recently wrote an article on how real Parmesan cheese is made and on its nutritional value. Check it out and let me know your thoughts, I would really appreciated it!
http://www.theironyou.com/2011/06/how-parmesan-cheese-comes-to-life.html
Peace
Mike @TheIronYou
Wonderful salad. Great pictures too.
I am literally craving this. It looks SO good and I adore a great pasta salad. As I told you, that dressing is absolutely incredible!
i made this for my girlfriends and it was a hit! thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
[…] From: GrumpysHoneyBunch […]
YUM! I made this recipe with a green pepper and olives (we didn’t have corn or asparagus). It was so good!!
Hi Monica! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Do you use the marinated jarred sun dried tomatoes or the packaged ones? Thank you!
Hi Sue, I use the dry packaged ones (I buy them at Trader Joes) however the oil packed ones are fine also! This is a delicious salad, I hope you enjoy it!
Oh my goodness, this looks incredibly delicious!! My family would LOVE it!!
I love easy pasta dishes!
That dressing really makes this salad. We absolutely love how easy and delicious this recipe is.
My husband just got a new grill and we’re making all the grilled meals. This is a perfect pairing! Thanks for a great recipe!
I love all things pasta salad! Thanks for the tip of using half sour cream…great idea!
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