“Timeless Pasta Salad Recipe with Italian Influences”

This SIMPLE Italian Pasta Salad is filled with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, zesty salami, pepperoncini, red onion, and olives, all mixed with a tangy homemade Italian dressing!

This Italian pasta salad recipe is easily one of our top pasta salad picks. Bursting with delicious ingredients like zesty salami, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pepperoncini, all combined with warm pasta and a delightful homemade Italian dressing! This effortless Italian pasta salad is ideal for picnics or barbeques and serves as a fantastic side dish when grilling chicken, fish, or steak. The best part is that this pasta salad can be savored warm or chilled and delivers SO much flavor in each bite!

What You’ll Adore about this Recipe

• Light, nutritious, and incredibly flavorful!
• Simple to prepare and comes together in just 15 minutes.
• The Italian dressing also enhances salads or serves as a marinade for chicken, shrimp, or steak.
• A perfect addition to summer gatherings, cookouts, or a straightforward side dish at home!

Ingredients You Will Require

• pasta – I used rotini noodles for this recipe, but you can opt for any curly or corkscrew pasta like cavatappi or fusilli. The curves in the pasta hold onto the dressing beautifully! Farfalle or penne could also work.
• vegetables – In this pasta salad, I included sliced cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), crispy cucumbers, and red onion, but you could add other veggies such as chopped bell peppers, broccoli, or asparagus.
• mozzarella cheese – I used mozzarella pearls (also called Bocconcini), but you could also use larger mozzarella balls or slices and simply cut them into pieces.
• salami – Zesty salami significantly enhances the flavor of this pasta salad, but feel free to choose any salami or sausage you prefer.
• pepperoncini – This is optional, but it adds a flavorful kick and spice to the pasta salad! You could add some red pepper flakes for even more heat.
• olives – I opted for sliced kalamata olives, but you can use black olives (or green olives) if you prefer.
• fresh herbs – A blend of chopped fresh parsley and basil.
• dressing – This quick homemade Italian dressing is what makes the pasta salad truly scrumptious! With a mix of olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, garlic, and spices, it brings immense flavor to every bite!

Steps to Prepare Italian Pasta Salad

1. Chop the veggies and herbs. This might take a little time, but feel free to enjoy a podcast or crank up some music – I assure you the chopping is rewarding! Slice the tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, and roughly chop the salami, kalamata olives, and fresh herbs.
2. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to halt the cooking process.
3. Prepare the dressing. While the pasta cooks, whip up the Italian dressing! Simply whisk together olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a jar or bowl and set aside for later use.
4. Combine the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped vegetables, salami, mozzarella balls, pepperoncini, olives, and fresh herbs. Drizzle with the Italian dressing, toss well, and season with extra salt and pepper as needed.
5. Marinate. You can either serve this right away or let it marinate for a few hours before serving. To marinate, cover the pasta salad and place it in the refrigerator, allowing the flavors to meld for a few hours or overnight. I like to set aside a bit of extra dressing to toss in before serving since the pasta absorbs a lot of it.

Preparation and Storage

To Store: The wonderful thing about this pasta salad is that it’s delicious both warm and cold and will last up to 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Just ensure any leftovers are stored in a sealed, airtight container.

To Prep: The Italian vinaigrette can be made a week ahead and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the pasta salad. Just let the dressing sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before mixing it with the pasta salad and give it a good shake to combine.

More Pasta Salad Creations

I hope you enjoy this Simple Italian Pasta Salad, and if you love it as much as we do, please leave me a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious creations!