This veggie-packed zesty pasta salad with Italian dressing is super flavorful and has officially become one of our new favorite simple meals. It’s even toddler-friendly! The base recipe is vegetarian, but there’s also an option to add salami or sausage if you’d like. You do you!
I’m a big fan of pasta salad – anyone else? It’s just so easy and versatile. I mean – pasta, veggies, and cheese drizzled with yummy dressing; what’s not to like, right?
This is one of my favorite go-to recipes to bring to potlucks or summer BBQs. It’s so simple to make and you can easily prep it ahead of time. Plus, everyone loves it!
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
If you like pasta salad (who doesn’t?!), you will love this Italian pasta salad recipe. It’s super easy, bright, and fresh, with all the colorful and crunchy mix-ins. Perfect for summer make-ahead meals!
It makes great leftovers, too, because the flavors will blend even more fully. So be sure to make extra so you have some for later!
Pasta salad is a great way to use up extra cooked pasta and veggies, and it’s perfect for packed lunches or an easy picnic meal. It also makes a great side dish or main dish for a BBQ – simply serve it with a grilled protein like chicken or salmon.
Check out these other tasty picnic food ideas that are perfect for summer!
What You’ll Need:
To make this pasta salad, you’ll need:
- whole wheat pasta (My favorite types of pasta for pasta salad are rotini, fusilli, bow tie, and penne. But you can use anything you have on hand.)
- bell pepper (Red bell pepper tastes the sweetest!)
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- shallot (You can also use red onion, but be aware that it does have a stronger taste.)
- canned artichoke hearts
- black olives
- fresh mozzarella cheese (You can buy the miniature balls of mozzarella for ease, or just dice the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces.)
- salami or Italian sausage (optional – leave this out to keep the recipe vegetarian)
- Italian salad dressing (here’s the recipe for my creamy parmesan & herb Italian dressing, which is our new fave!)
For serving, you can also add in some baby arugula, extra grated parmesan, and/or chopped parsley.
How to Make Pasta Salad
Step 1: Cook Pasta
If you haven’t yet, start by preparing the cooked pasta. It’s best to cook your pasta al dente (i.e. slightly undercook it), otherwise it can get mushy while it sits in the refrigerator.
Allow it to cool completely. Hot tip: you can stop the pasta from cooking further by placing it into a bowl of cold water.
Step 2: Chop Veggies & Cheese
Then, chop up your veggies and cheese. (Also the salami or sausage, if you’re adding that). Make sure the pieces are small. That way, you can fit all that yummy stuff into each bite!
Step 3: Make Italian Dressing
If you’re making the dressing (instead of using store-bought), combine white wine vinegar, garlic, honey, Italian seasoning, olive oil, and parmesan in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Or, place everything in a glass measuring cup and use an immersion blender, while streaming in the olive oil.
(If you don’t feel like blending the dressing, just stir everything together before drizzling it over the pasta salad. Just as tasty!)
Then, add in the parsley and blend again until finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Step 4: Toss Pasta Salad
Lastly, toss everything together into a large bowl and mix until well-coated with the dressing.
If desired, serve on a bed of arugula and garnish with extra grated parmesan and chopped parsley!
Homemade Italian Dressing for Pasta Salad
My favorite dressing for this easy pasta salad is my creamy parmesan & herb Italian dressing. It’s an easy and zesty vinaigrette-style dressing that’s (optionally) blended with parmesan to make it creamy. So good!
But, feel free to experiment with other vinaigrettes or dressings if you’d like. Bottled dressings are fine, too! Whatever you prefer or have time for.
Make Ahead & Storage Tips for Pasta Salad
Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. To prep it ahead of time, I recommend waiting to add the dressing until 1-2 days before at most. It’s good to let the flavors sit and marinate, but you also don’t want your veggies or pasta to get soggy.
Can I make this gluten free?
Absolutely! Everything except the pasta should naturally be gluten free, so just replace that with your favorite gluten free pasta. Chickpea pasta is a great gluten free alternative!
You’ll find the full Italian pasta salad recipe at the end of this post. Enjoy!
Need more tasty packed lunch ideas? Here are some of my favorites:
- Healthy Chicken Salad
- Healthy Tuna Salad with Avocado
- Crunchy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Mediterranean Bulgur Salad with Lemon Mint Vinaigrette
- Quinoa Taco Salad
- Mexican Brown Rice Salad Bowl
- Vegan Cranberry Quinoa Salad
- Shrimp, Cucumber, and Feta Orzo Salad
- Mason Jar Kale Salad
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
This zesty Italian pasta salad is super flavorful, nutritious, and easy to make. Perfect for packed lunches or a tasty picnic meal!
Ingredients:
- 8 oz whole wheat pasta
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 15-oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 3.8-oz can sliced black olives, drained
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
- 8 oz salami or Italian sausage, diced (optional)
- 3/4 cup Creamy Parmesan & Herb Italian Dressing, recipe linked below in 'Notes'
- Optional, for serving: baby arugula, grated parmesan, chopped parsley
Instructions:
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Serve on a bed of arugula and garnish with grated parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes:
My favorite homemade dressing for this: Creamy Parmesan & Herb Italian Dressing
Storage Tips: Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
To Make Ahead: Wait to add the dressing until 1-2 days before serving (at most). It's good to let the flavors sit and marinate, but you also don't want your veggies or pasta to get soggy.
