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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Fantastic recipe! Really quick and delicious!
Thanks for sharing.
THE SALAD AND THE DRESSING ARE DELICIOUS. A TIP I LEARNED MANY YEARS AGO, NEVER RINCE THE PASTA !!!! THE STARCH THAT YOU ARE RINSING OFF IT WAS ADHERES THE DRESSING TO THE SALAD.
I have made this a few times and its a winner every time.
It was so soooooo good, I can still smell and taste it, though the meal was over an hour ago. Thank you for sharing!
Lauren we love this salad! I recently made it with feta cheese, kalamata olives, red yellow and orange bell peppers, along with fresh herbs from my garden. Also was a big hit! Thank you 🙂
This pasta salad was absolutely delicious!! I’m soo glad I added the Pepperoni!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
One of the best.
So delicious!! The dressing really makes a difference. I added some green and red bell peppers and it really added to the taste. Everyone in my family was fan and we will be printing this recipe off and adding it to our cookbooks. Not only does it look good, it also tastes good too.
Lauren, this recipe was simple, and delicious. I got so many compliments from family and friends. Thanks once again for this amazing recipe.
This is truly the BEST pasta salad ever. The store did not have regular rotini pasta, so I used the tricolor rotini. It turned out very colorful and was delicious. I’m happy if there is ever any left so I can enjoy it for a couple more days. This is my go to pasta salad for potlucks and home gatherings. Love it, love it, love it. …Trish
Thanks for sharing Trish! I’m thrilled you love it as much as I do!
You got that right, it’s the best, love this pasta salads, and this one it great, added Green Bell pepper, red onion and green onion a little bit.
Delicious pasta salad. I added provolone and ham. Also substituted sun dried tomatoes for regular tomatoes.