This zesty Italian pasta salad is made with fresh vegetables, mozzarella pearls, and salami, and topped with an Italian salad dressing.
Made with al dente pasta, crisp vegetables, and a tangy Italian-inspired dressing, it's a crowd-pleasing recipe that's easy to prepare.
The combination of fresh tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, and sliced olives adds texture and bright pops of color, while the zesty dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and Italian seasoning ties all the flavors together.
With its balance of textures and bold Mediterranean flavors, this pasta salad is sure to become a new favorite.
It is loaded with healthy ingredients that you can find in any grocery store. It's ready in just 15 minutes if you have the pasta premade!
For more salad recipes, check out my Jennifer Aniston salad, zesty Italian pasta salad, burrata caprese salad, and Greek pasta salad.
Jump to:
Why this recipe works
- Time- This pasta salad comes together in 15 minutes and is perfect if you have leftover pasta!
- Ease- This pasta salad can be made by anyone! It's super easy to make. You just throw everything into a large bowl and mix!
- Customizable- you can customize this salad to your liking by adding or removing your favorite ingredients.
- Ahead of time- you can make this salad a day or two ahead of time! It will marinade in the fridge and soak up all the flavors.
- Flavor- this salad has all the Mediterranean flavors and is super delicious, the opposite of bland!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Pasta- use any kind of your favorite short pasta, we used farfalle pasta. The most popular kinds of pasta to use for pasta salads are penne, rotini, and fusilli.
Bell pepper- we used green and red bell pepper for this recipe. Any color of bell pepper will work great.
Cucumber- use fresh cucumber for this recipe. Cut the cucumber into small pieces.c
Cherry tomatoes- we love using fresh Roma cherry tomatoes in cooking and for pasta salads. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
Red onion- cut the red onion into slices, then cut it into 4 pieces. If you don't have red onion, it's okay using white onion.
Olives- we used black olives but feel free to use your favorite olives like green olives or kalamata olives.
Mozzarella pearls- you can find mozzarella pearls in most supermarkets. If you can't find mozzarella pearls, you can use fresh mozzarella cut into cubes.
Parsley- wash your parsley until it's clean of any dirt, and chop it finely. You can use cilantro if you don't have parsley available.
For the zesty Italian dressing
Olive oil– to make the salad dressing, we used olive oil. Canola oil or vegetable oil will work as well.
Honey- for added sweetness, you can use maple syrup instead.
Red wine vinegar- use red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Dijon mustard- you will need a teaspoon of dijon mustard for this recipe.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
Chili flakes- add ½ teaspoon of chili flakes to the dressing. You can add more if you want!
Lemon zest- you will need 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Spices– for spices, we used kosher salt, black pepper, dried parsley, dried basil, and dried oregano.
Garlic powder- use your favorite brand of garlic powder for this.
Instructions
Make the pasta according to the package instructions and cook it to al dente. Rinse and wash the pasta to stop the cooking process and prevent it from sticking.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the pasta, mozzarella pearls, chopped cucumber, chopped red bell pepper, black olives, chopped red onion, chopped green pepper, chopped salami, chopped parsley, and sliced cherry tomatoes.
Make the salad dressing. Into a small mixing bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, kosher salt, chili flakes, black pepper, lemon zest, dijon mustard, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and lemon juice.
Mix with a small whisk until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad, and use two wooden spoons to mix the salad well.
Expert Tips
- Pasta salads are the most delicious when you let them sit in the fridge and soak up all the flavors of the dressing. So I would recommend serving this a few hours after you let the salad chill in the fridge.
- Make the pasta in salted water. this will make sure that the pasta flavor isn't flat. add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. to stop the pasta from turning soggy from the juices, cook the pasta al dente. this step will keep your pasta salad fresh and delicious.
- Use fresh ingredients! this pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, it's fresh and summery so make sure that you use fresh vegetables and fresh ingredients. the quality of the ingredients really makes this salad the best.
- Add protein for heartiness. Cooked and cooled chicken, salami, or chickpeas are all excellent additions.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water when it's ready! This step ensures that the pasta will remain al dente and won't continue to cook.
Faq's
Italian pasta salad is made with cooked pasta, salami, mozzarella, vegetables like cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, red onion, cucumber, and chopped parsley, and is served with Italian salad dressing.
You can eat pasta salad with so many delicious foods like burgers, hot dogs, roasted chicken, grilled chicken, fried chicken, corn on the cob, sandwiches, and more!
I personally like eating pasta salad cold from the fridge after I let all the flavors from the salad dressing absorb.
Warm or hot pasta can cause the other ingredients in the salad to become soggy. Allowing the pasta to cool to room temperature helps it maintain its texture and prevents the salad from becoming watery.
For best results, cook the pasta, drain it, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before tossing it with the other pasta salad ingredients.
Storing
Store this pasta salad in the fridge sealed tightly with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
Freezing
I do not suggest freezing this salad. The vegetables will be soggy while defrosting and it's just not gonna be as good. This salad is perfect when it's fresh since it's made with fresh ingredients.
Make it ahead of time
To make this pasta salad in advance, pre-make the pasta a day or two ahead, cut the veggies a day or two ahead, and make the dressing a day or two ahead.
When ready to serve, throw the pasta, veggies, and dressing together, mix well, and serve!
Substitutions
Whole grain- You can use any kind of your favorite pasta kinds and pasta shapes., like chickpea pasta, brown rice pasta, spinach pasta, quinoa pasta, etc.
Gluten-free- you can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. Simply follow the instructions as written. Also, replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Vegan- It is very easy to make this recipe vegan, simply replace the feta cheese with vegan feta cheese, or don’t use cheese at all. Also, swap the salami with vegan salami.
Variations
Chicken- This recipe works great with chicken. Roast or cook chicken breast, season it with salt and pepper, then slice it into small slices and mix it with the pasta salad.
Pesto- make a basil pesto to coat the pasta, then fold in grilled chicken, and shredded parmesan.
Mediterranean twist- swap out Italian dressing for a Greek vinaigrette, then add kalamata olives, and crumbled feta.
Dressing- if you have your favorite recipe for Italian dressing or your favorite salad dressing that you love to use, use it for this recipe!
Cheese- you can add grated parmesan to this salad for extra flavor. Feel free to be creative and use your favorite cheeses in this salad.
Serving tips
Serve this delicious fresh salad next to burgers, grilled chicken, cast iron chicken breast, chicken skewers, shrimp skewers, hot dogs, and much more!
Equipment
More pasta salad recipes
Chickpea pasta salad- This chickpea pasta salad is made with pasta, cucumber, pepper, tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta cheese. We topped this salad with our favorite greek salad dressing.
Greek pasta salad- Greek pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, made with cooked pasta, fresh veggies, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and homemade Greek salad dressing.
Spinach pasta salad- This Spinach Pasta Salad is made with fresh spinach, feta, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and freshly made pasta combined together with a simple homemade salad dressing making the perfect refreshing and filling summery pasta salad.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta uncooked
- 1 Green bell pepper chopped
- 1 Red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup Cucumber chopped
- ½ Red onion chopped
- 3 cup Cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cup Black olives
- 5.3 oz Mozzarella balls drained
- ⅓ cup Parsley chopped
- 6 oz Salami chopped
Zesty Italian salad dressing
- ¾ cup Olive oil
- ⅓ cup Red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey or maple syrup
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon Chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the pasta according to the package instructions and cook it to al dente. Rinse and wash the pasta to stop the cooking process and prevent it from sticking.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the pasta, mozzarella pearls, chopped cucumber, chopped red bell pepper, black olives, chopped red onion, chopped green pepper, chopped salami, chopped parsley, and sliced cherry tomatoes.
- Make the salad dressing. Into a small mixing bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, kosher salt, black pepper, chili flakes, lemon zest, dijon mustard, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and lemon juice.
- Mix with a small whisk until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, and use two wooden spoons to mix the salad well.
Notes
- Pasta salads are the most delicious when you let them sit in the fridge and soak up all the flavors of the dressing. So I would recommend serving this a few hours after you let the salad chill in the fridge.
- Make the pasta in salted water. this will make sure that the pasta flavor isn't flat. add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. to stop the pasta from turning soggy from the juices, cook the pasta al dente. this step will keep your pasta salad fresh and delicious.
- Use fresh ingredients! this pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, it's fresh and summery so make sure that you use fresh vegetables and fresh ingredients. the quality of the ingredients really makes this salad the best.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water when it's ready! This step ensures that the pasta will remain al dente and won't continue to cook.
Comments
No Comments