Quick veggie pasta salad
This quick veggie pasta salad combines dried pasta, steamed broccoli and a creamy mayonnaise-sour cream dressing with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan. The Thermomix TM7 chops the eschalot and parsley in seconds and steams the broccoli to tender-crisp perfection, making it an ideal effortless lunch or side for busy days.
About this recipe
Quick veggie pasta salad Thermomix TM7 is the kind of recipe that turns a handful of everyday ingredients into a crowd-pleasing meal in next to no time. If you have been searching for easy pasta salad recipes for your all-in-one kitchen machine, this one delivers on every level: soft dried pasta coated in a creamy mayonnaise and sour cream dressing, punctuated by crisp-tender broccoli florets, fragrant flat leaf parsley and generous shavings of Parmesan. A pinch of ground mountain pepperberry adds a subtle native-pepper warmth that lifts the whole bowl above ordinary deli-style salads. The TM7 handles the fiddly work for you — chopping the eschalot finely without tears, grating the Parmesan evenly and steaming the broccoli in the Varoma while the pasta cooks. Serve it as a quick weeknight dinner, a barbecue companion or a make-ahead lunchbox favourite that tastes even better after a night in the fridge.
Preparation tips
- Cook the dried pasta until just al dente before rinsing it under cold water, so the florets and dressing cling to every piece rather than sliding off slippery overcooked strands. Toss the pasta with a little of the mayonnaise-sour cream mixture while still slightly warm to help it absorb flavour.
- Reserve a few small broccoli florets and extra flat leaf parsley to scatter over the top just before serving. This keeps the salad looking fresh and vibrant, especially if it has been chilling in the fridge for a lunchbox or picnic the next day.
- For a milder family version, reduce or omit the ground mountain pepperberry and let everyone season their own bowl at the table. Younger children often prefer the Parmesan grated finely over the top rather than mixed through the sour cream dressing.
Recipe variations
- Make it lactose-free by swapping the sour cream for a plant-based alternative and replacing the Parmesan with a mature lactose-free hard cheese or nutritional yeast. The mayonnaise-sour cream dressing stays just as creamy and the broccoli and parsley keep everything fresh.
- For a festive summer variation, add halved cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and a squeeze of lemon juice along with the mountain pepperberry. Served chilled with extra grated Parmesan, this version works beautifully as a barbecue or buffet salad.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Chopping the eschalot and flat leaf parsley in mere seconds, the TM7 saves you ten minutes of fiddly knife work without any tears.
- Grating the Parmesan cheese directly into the mixing bowl gives fine, even shavings that melt gently into the mayonnaise and sour cream dressing.
- Steaming the broccoli in the Varoma keeps the florets vibrant and crisp-tender, ready to fold through the cooled pasta salad.
- Mixing the mayonnaise, sour cream and ground mountain pepperberry produces a silky, lump-free dressing in one quick blend.
- Weighing the dried pasta and water straight into the bowl guarantees the correct ratio for perfectly cooked pasta every single time.
Ingredients
- eschalot
- fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Parmesan cheese
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- ground mountain pepperberry
- water
- sea salt
- small dried pasta
- broccoli