Traditional Italian-Style Pasta Salad with Fresh Produce and Herbs

This SIMPLE Italian Pasta Salad is packed with succulent tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, zesty salami, pepperoncini, red onion, and olives, all blended together with a tangy homemade Italian dressing!

This Italian pasta salad recipe is undeniably one of our top pasta salads. With an array of mouthwatering ingredients such as zesty salami, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoncini, all mixed with warm pasta and the tastiest homemade Italian dressing! This effortless Italian pasta salad is ideal for picnics or barbecues and serves as a fantastic side for grilled chicken, fish, or steak. The ultimate highlight is that this pasta salad can be savored warm or chilled, boasting SO much flavor in each delectable bite!

Reasons to Adore this Recipe

• Light, nutritious, and incredibly flavorful!
• Quick to prepare, requiring only 15 minutes.
• The Italian dressing is also fantastic drizzled over salads or used as a marinade for chicken, shrimp, or steak.
• Wonderful enhancement for summer gatherings, barbecues, or even as a straightforward side dish at home!

Ingredients You Will Require

• pasta – for this dish, I chose rotini noodles, but you can opt for any curly or corkscrew pasta like cavatappi or fusilli. The twists in the pasta effectively cling to the dressing! Farfalle or penne pasta can also be used.
• vegetables – for this pasta salad, I used sliced cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), crunchy cucumbers, and red onion, but feel free to incorporate other veggies such as diced bell peppers, broccoli, or asparagus.
• mozzarella cheese – I used mozzarella cheese pearls (also referred to as Bocconcini), but you can also use larger balls or slices of mozzarella and simply cut them into pieces.
• salami – spicy salami truly infuses this pasta salad with flavor, but you can use any salami or sausage you prefer.
• pepperoncini – this ingredient is optional, but adds a burst of flavor and heat to this Italian pasta salad! You might also sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for added spice.
• olives – I chose sliced kalamata olives, but you can opt for black olives (or even green olives) if that’s your preference.
• fresh herbs – a mix of chopped fresh parsley and basil.
• dressing – this simple homemade Italian dressing is what makes this pasta salad incredibly delicious! Composed of olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, garlic, and spices, it injects so much flavor into every mouthful!

Steps to Prepare Italian Pasta Salad

1. Dice veggies and herbs. This step might take the most time, but why not play a podcast or crank up some tunes – it’s definitely worth all the chopping! 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 prepare the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to halt the cooking process.
3. Prepare the dressing. As the pasta cooks, you can mix up 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 it’s time to use.
4. Combine the salad. In a large bowl, blend the cooked pasta, chopped veggies, salami, mozzarella balls, pepperoncini, olives, and fresh herbs. Drizzle the Italian dressing over everything, give it a thorough toss, and adjust with more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Marinate. You can either serve this right away or marinate it for several hours before serving. To marinate, cover the pasta salad and store it in the fridge to let the flavors meld for a few hours or even overnight. I also like saving a bit of extra dressing to toss in just before serving since the pasta absorbs a lot of it.

Preparation and Storage

To Store: The wonderful thing about this pasta salad is it tastes fantastic warm OR cold and will keep for up to 3 to 4 days in your refrigerator. Be sure to place any leftovers in a sealed, airtight container.

To Prep: The Italian vinaigrette can be prepared up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge before creating the pasta salad. Just allow the dressing to come to room temperature for at least 15 minutes prior to tossing it with the pasta salad, and give the dressing a good shake to combine everything well.

Additional Pasta Salad Recipes

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 with the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I absolutely adore seeing all your delightful recreations!