Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad with Balsamic Glaze Recipe – Strawberries, avocados, and bow tie pasta all tossed with a delicious balsamic glaze! This will be your new favorite, most requested pasta salad!
Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad
And to think that I used to not even like sweet and salty together. Whaaaat was wrong with me?! Blame it on ignorance and adolescence.
Hello, there, Mondayers! Welcome! How goes it? I should just let you know right off the bat that I’m still trying to roll out of bed for you. BUT, I did take a shower already so I feel like I’m almost ahead of the game today. ✌
Also on today’s agenda; we are about to enjoy another salad. It’s been a while, so YAY for us!!
As you know, I always have the best of intentions when I step into the kitchen to make us a healthy, green salad. Somehow, somewhere along the way I get lost in my own creativity and, well, I end up with a salad that’s jam packed with fresh vegetables and fruits, and it beats a steak in the main meals-category.
How To Make Strawberry Pasta Salad
This flavorful, textures-galore pasta salad is heaven to me. And I will elaborate on that, but I can’t move on without talking about what makes this whole thing work: the dressing! Or better yet, the glaze. It’s by STAR Fine Foods and it’s called Modena Creamy Balsamic Glaze. Pretty amazing stuff. I tossed it with a bit of STAR’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, pepper, fresh mint and some poppy seeds, and it took the salad to whole new levels.
Best thing about this balsamic glaze is that you don’t have to reduce it; it’s all done and ready to be drizzled over pasta, salads, and even pizza, whenever you need it.
To a salad junkie like myself, this is beyond divine.
If you are a person who likes super layered salads, please, make this. And please make this in the world’s largest salad bowl and double it because, it needs to be shared at your very next family/friends gathering. Like Easter lunch, perhaps!
I crammed four delicious layers of pasta, salad greens, avocados, and strawberries into this large plate and it was a little crowded in there and yet I still wanted more layers. You can never have too many. Never. Ever.
Speaking of: use as much, or as little as you want. P.S. The more, the better.
Also noteworthy is the fact that it all goes together so darn perfectly. Strawberries and avocados are an awesome match, and there’s just enough glaze to keep you happy without making it too wet and soupy, which is important because I know you guys like your dressing. You ain’t alone.
One more thing! It’s important. You don’t have to be a salty and sweet salad-head to love this one – Goce, my main squeeze, kept going for more, and that says a lot for someone that can’t stand to see two side dishes + a main on the same plate. He’s SO food-weird.
ENJOY!
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Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad with Balsamic Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry bow tie pasta, cooked according to the directions on the package
- 4 to 6 cups packed torn salad greens
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 to 4 tablespoons STAR Modena Creamy Balsamic Glaze
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to cool it off and to stop the pasta from cooking.
- Add cold pasta to a salad bowl; toss the pasta with salad greens, strawberries, avocado and fresh mint.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add poppy seeds, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze; toss it all together until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust accordingly.
- If the salad seems dry, you can toss it with a bit more extra virgin olive oil and/or balsamic glaze.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This post was sponsored by STAR FINE FOODS! Thank YOU, friends, for supporting the brands that make Diethood possible!
I found a similar balsamic glaze at Trader Joe’s. Very yummy. And I added red onion slices and feta cheese crumbles. So delicious. Thanks for this delicious recipe.
I added extra oil, extra glaze, but it was still bland and sort of ugly once it was stirred. All brown. Was hoping to serve at a bridal shower, but three tasters did not care for the bland flavor. I also added salt and pepper
Made this tonight for dinner…loved it! Made it as written except I used whole wheat bow tie pasta instead of regular and skipped the poppy seeds because I didn’t have them. So good! I’ll add some goat cheese crumbles next time…and maybe even some chilled cooked shrimp because I think it would be fantastic complete meal 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
What is a good replacement for the balsamic glaze? Not sure it’s available – or called that – in my area.
Thanks,
Vicki
I made my own with balsamic vinegar by simmering it on the stove until reduced to one-half or one-third. Gets syrupy.