Italian Pasta Salad

The BEST Italian Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make, loaded with all the good stuff, and tossed in zesty homemade dressing. It will be the star of your potluck!

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

What I Love About This Recipe:

• The Dressing – The simple homemade Italian Pasta Salad dressing is quick to make with pantry ingredients and really sets this pasta salad apart from the rest.
• EVERYONE loves it! Talk about a crowd pleaser; all ages love this zesty Italian Pasta Salad!
• Make Ahead and Travel Friendly makes this perfect for any potluck or picnic. It’s a great easy meal to bring camping, boating, or to a beach day. During the school year I make a big batch to use for kids school lunch ideas during the week.

How to Make Pasta Salad:

Make Dressing: Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, onion, lemon juice, basil, oregano, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Cook Pasta according to package instructions. Drain water and rinse pasta in cold water. Allow to cool, then pour half of the salad dressing and toss to combine.

Add Ingredients: Add mozzarella cheese pearls, salami, black olives, red onion, cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, parmesan, pepperoncini (optional), and additional dressing, to taste. Refrigerate pasta salad with Italian dressing for 1 hour or longer, before serving.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Make Ahead Instructions:

To Make Ahead: This cold Italian Pasta Salad can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days, making it perfect for meal prep.

Recipe Variations:

• Add Meat/Protein: Add cooked chopped ham or chicken.
• Veggie Substitutions: Add chopped bell pepper, shredded carrot, or cooked sautéed veggies, like zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, or any other veggies you like.
• Meatless Italian Pasta Salad: Leave the meat out and add extra vegetables.
• Swap the Noodles: Use farfalle, penne, or any favorite bite-size pasta.
• Gluten Free: Use your favorite gluten free bite size pasta noodles. We have had great luck with the Barilla rotini pasta.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

More Pasta Salad Recipes:

• Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
• Healthy Chicken Pasta Salad
• BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad
• Pasta Primavera
• Teriyaki Pasta Salad
• Creamy Pesto Tortellini
• Tuna Pasta Salad

Italian Pasta Salad

Author: Lauren Allen Servings: 8 Calories: 664 Cost: 8 Prep: 10 Minutes Cook 15: Minutes Refrigerate: 1 hour Total: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

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, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• pepperoncinis, sliced (optional)

For the Italian Salad Dressing (or substitute about 1 ½ cups bottled zesty italian dressing):

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 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 leaves
• 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.

For the Pasta Salad:

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain water and rinse pasta with cold water. Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.

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.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer, before serving. Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: Italian Pasta Salad can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

Variations

Add Meat/Protein: Add cooked chopped ham or chicken.

Add Veggies like chopped cucumber, bell pepper, shredded carrot, or cooked sautéed veggies, like zucchini, asparagus, broccoli.

Meatless Italian Pasta Salad: Leave the meat out and add extra vegetables.

Swap the Noodles: Use farfalle, penne, or any favorite bite-size pasta.

Gluten Free: Use your favorite gluten free bite size pasta noodles. We have had great luck with the Barilla rotini pasta.

Nutrition

Calories: 664kcal Carbohydrates: 49g Protein: 23g Fat: 42g Saturated Fat: 11g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 24g Cholesterol: 50mg Sodium: 1559mg Potassium: 384mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g Vitamin A: 557IU Vitamin C: 10mg Calcium: 243mg Iron: 2mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.

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