Our favorite easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe is delicious, filling, and perfect for a make-ahead lunch, picnic, or potluck.
The best Italian Pasta Salad we've been making for years.
The best Italian Pasta Salad we've been making for years.If you need a side dish everyone will love (all ages, all levels of picky-ness) THIS Italian pasta salad is IT. And it's not your typical Italian Pasta Salad because we add the tastiest homemade dressing and pile on all the goodies including mozzarella cheese pearls, salami, black olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and fresh herbs.
I often make it for kids school lunches, and it's my go-to for camping, boating and beach days. I make a big container and bring it along in our cooler, with some plastic cups and forks to scoop and serve.
How to make Pasta Salad:
Make Dressing and Cook Pasta: Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, onion, lemon juice, basil, oregano, salt, sugar, and pepper to make dressing. Cook Pasta according to package instructions drain and cool before tossing in dressing.
Add mozzarella, salami, olives, onion, tomatoes, parsley, parmesan, pepperoncini and additional dressing, to taste. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer before serving this zesty Italian pasta recipe.
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Recipe
Italian Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta , uncooked
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese pearls (or chopped into pieces if you can't find pearls)
- 8 ounces salami , pepperoni, or beef summer sausage
- 6 ounces black olives pitted, sliced
- 1/2 red onion , diced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (224g), halved
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (50g)
- pepperoncinis , sliced (optional)
Italian Salad Dressing (or substitute 1 ½ cups bottled zesty Italian dressing):
- 3/4 cup olive oil (150g)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (58g)
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the salad dressing by combining all ingredients. Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Shake before using.¾ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes, 2 teaspoons dried minced onion, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain water and rinse pasta with cold water. Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.1 pound rotini pasta
- Combine: Add pasta to a large bowl and pour half of the salad dressing over it. Toss to combine. Add remaining ingredients and dressing and toss everything to combine.8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, 8 ounces salami, 6 ounces black olives, ½ red onion, 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, pepperoncinis
- Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer, before serving. Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
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- Add Meat/Protein: Add cooked chopped ham or chicken.
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- Add Veggies like chopped cucumber, bell pepper, shredded carrot, or cooked sautéed veggies, like zucchini, asparagus, broccoli.
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- Meatless Italian Pasta Salad: omit the meat out and add extra veg.
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- Swap the Noodles: Use farfalle, penne, or any favorite bite-size pasta.
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- Gluten Free: Use your favorite gluten free bite size pasta noodles. We have had great luck with the Barilla rotini pasta.
Nutrition
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*I first shared this recipe in May 2016. Updated August 2018, June 2021 and May 2023.
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Can i use feta cheese instead of mozzarella?
Definitely! Yum!
I feel like the dressing could use more zing. Maybe just more vinegar?
Also, the quantity is incredible. I thought I was making a side dish. This is 8 meal-sized servings.
Huge hit! Easy to prepare the day before a summer BBQ. Used fresh herbs instead of dried.
I love Italian pasta salad, and this beats most. The Italian dressing is especially good
Does anyone know if this can be frozen? Have way too much left from a family function.
great recipe, just needed a little fresh garlic (4 cloves) loved it
Bland. Even added Salad Supreme. Not sure how to fix.
I absolutely love this pasta salad recipe!