This easy pasta salad recipe has pasta tossed with fresh veggies, cheese, and a simple tangy dressing.
Serve it as a side for any gathering potluck or picnic, or serve it as a refreshing make-ahead meal on a warm day.
You’ll Be Making This Pasta Salad Recipe on Repeat Because…
- It’s quick and easy to make with ingredients you have on hand.
- Use whatever veggies you have, any shape of pasta, and even bottled dressing if you’d prefer.
- Potluck perfect, this pasta salad recipe is best made ahead of time.
- It’s a hearty side dish that everyone loves. It also makes a great easy dinner or workday lunch.
Basic Pasta Salad Ingredients
Pasta – Any medium pasta shape works. Favorites include rotini pasta (or tri-color rotini), bow ties (farfalle), fusilli, or penne. Pasta with nooks and crannies hold the dressing better.
Vegetables – Cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers are a great combo for color and crunch, but any veggie goes.
Cheese – I love feta but swap it out for fresh mozzarella or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Flavors – Boost the flavor with red onion, chopped olives, and feta cheese.
Dressing – A light vinaigrette brings all the flavors together in this pasta salad recipe. Use the DIY dressing recipe below or use a bottled vinaigrette, Italian or Greek dressing.
Variations
Change it up and add in new textures and flavors. Almost anything goes in a cold pasta salad!
- Add a scoop of pesto and kalamata olives a bold flavor.
- Add chicken, shrimp, or bacon bits for some extra protein.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving.
How to Make Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta to al dente, drain, and rinse in cold water.
- Chop vegetables and place them in a large bowl.
- Toss vegetables and pasta with dressing (recipe below).
- Chill for 2 hours before serving.
Tips for Perfect Pasta Salad
- Cooking the pasta to al dente will keep it firmer as it soaks up the dressing.
- Be generous with the dressing so the pasta can soak it up.
- Allow time for the pasta salad to chill in the fridge, the flavor will be so much better!
- Cut the add-ins fairly small so you get a bit of everything in every bite.
Storing Pasta Salad
- Make this simple summer salad a day ahead and keep it chilled until ready to serve!
- Keep leftover pasta salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Pasta doesn’t thaw well, so freezing pasta salad isn’t advised. But since it’s so easy to make, simply start a fresh batch!
Pasta Salads for Summer
Did you make this Pasta Salad Recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini or any medium pasta shape
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese or to taste
- 1 medium English cucumber chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 1 small bell pepper any color, chopped
- ¼ cup sliced black olives optional
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion or sliced green onions
- 1 cup Italian dressing or homemade dressing in the notes
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil pasta in salted water until al dente (firm) according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
- Meanwhile, chop the cucumber, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, and red onions.
- In a large bowl, combine your cooked and cooled pasta, prepared vegetables, Italian dressing, and fresh parsley. Toss well to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and gently stir in feta cheese.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend and the pasta to soak in the dressing.
Notes
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
- 1 teaspoon each honey and Dijon mustard
- While whisking, very slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil until incorporated. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
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Perfect for everyone.
Looks delicious, can hardly wait to taste
WoW ! Super easy, and my crew Loved it
I made this salad for three of my family members for our dinner. The only thing I changed was to add more pasta and the first night was okay but the second night, it was dry. Next time I will make more dressing and use it the next day. It is a favorite recipe of mine and everyone wanted a copy of the recipe. Yummy
It’s as easy as they say and delicious!
I love this recipe, The pasta salad with Pita Chips was a delightful mix of flavors and textures. The crunchy pita chips perfectly contrasted with the fresh and tangy salad.
this was easy and delicious! we added some cheese cubes to ours!
Delicious! I decided to add Sun dried tomatoes to the salad and it added another level of flavor
Hi Holly! Just wanted to let you know this recipe was SO good, although I didnt have feta but the Mediterranean dressing I used had feta in it! Just used the grated Parmesan, green pepper, cuke, romas, marinated artichoke hearts, black olives and onions I already had. Delightful! Thank you for the inspiration!
Fast and easy recipe. I substituted grilled zucchini instead of cucumber and it worked really well :)
wow
My favorite salad to make!
Can this be made 2 days ahead of the event I’m bringing it to?
Hi Marlene, pasta salad does great made ahead of time so that should work well.
I made this recipe (as well as the homemade dressing). The salad was a winner. However, the recipe said it would store in the frig for 4 days…it didn’t mention that the salad may be so dry that more dressing may be needed. Day 2 – the salad was super dry so I added more dressing but the recipe is a keeper.
I love this recipe.I have made it for years.
I really enjoyed this salad and have taken it to a family potluck and it was almost all eaten with it being my first time making it.
The pasta salad with Pita Chips was a delightful mix of flavors and textures. The crunchy pita chips added the perfect contrast to the fresh and tangy salad.