“Traditional Italian-Inspired Pasta Salad Recipe”

This SIMPLE Italian Pasta Salad is packed with flavorful tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, creamy mozzarella, zesty salami, pepperoncini, red onion, and olives, all mixed together with a tangy homemade Italian dressing!

This Italian pasta salad recipe is undoubtedly one of our top picks. It features a variety of tasty ingredients like zesty salami, succulent tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pepperoncini, blended with warm pasta and a delectable homemade Italian dressing! This effortless Italian pasta salad is ideal for picnics, barbecues, and pairs wonderfully as a side dish for grilled chicken, fish, or steak. The best aspect is that this pasta salad can be enjoyed hot or cold, offering incredible flavor in every bite!

Reasons to Love This Recipe

• Light, nutritious, and SO flavorful!
• Quick to prepare, coming together in just 15 minutes.
• The Italian dressing is also fantastic drizzled over salads or used as a marinade for chicken, shrimp, or steak.
• An excellent addition to summer gatherings, barbecues, or as a simple side dish at home!

Ingredients You Will Need

• pasta – I opted for rotini noodles in this recipe, but feel free to select any curly or corkscrew pasta such as cavatappi or fusilli. The grooves in the pasta really cling to the dressing! Farfalle or penne would also work well.
• vegetables – I incorporated sliced cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), crunchy cucumbers, and red onion, but you could also add other veggies like chopped bell peppers, broccoli, or asparagus.
• mozzarella cheese – I used mozzarella pearls (also known as Bocconcini), but you can use larger whole balls or slices of mozzarella, cutting them into pieces.
• salami – Zesty salami lends a ton of flavor to this pasta salad, but you can use any salami or sausage that you prefer.
• pepperoncini – This is optional, but it adds a delightful spicy flavor! You might also consider red pepper flakes for additional heat.
• olives – I chose sliced kalamata olives, but you can swap for black olives (or even green olives) if that’s your preference.
• fresh herbs – A mix of fresh parsley and basil.
• dressing – This simple homemade Italian dressing is what makes this pasta salad so delicious! Combining olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, garlic, and spices creates an explosion of flavor in every bite!

How to Prepare Italian Pasta Salad

1. Chop veggies and herbs. This may be the most time-consuming part, but you can listen to a podcast or put on some music – it’s worth the effort! Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, and roughly chop the salami, kalamata olives, and fresh herbs.
2. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cooking the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to halt the cooking process.
3. Make the dressing. While the pasta cooks, prepare the Italian dressing! Just whisk together olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a jar or bowl, and set aside until needed.
4. Toss the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped veggies, salami, mozzarella balls, pepperoncini, olives, and fresh herbs. Drizzle the Italian dressing over everything, toss well, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Marinate. You can serve this right away or let it marinate for a few hours before serving. To marinate, cover the pasta salad and chill in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld for a few hours or overnight. I even like to keep a little extra dressing to toss in just before serving, as the pasta absorbs a lot of it.

Preparation and Storage Tips

To Store: The awesome thing about this pasta salad is it tastes fantastic hot OR cold and can last up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Just be sure to keep any leftovers in a sealed, airtight container.

To Prep: The Italian vinaigrette can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the fridge before preparing the pasta salad. Just allow the dressing to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes prior to mixing it with the pasta salad, and give the dressing a good shake to blend.

More Pasta Salad Ideas

Hope you all enjoy this Simple Italian Pasta Salad and if you love it as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your tasty recreations!