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This pasta salad recipe is bursting with flavor! It’s easy to mix up with veggies, herbs, and a tangy Italian dressing. This makes a big batch and is a family favorite!

Pasta Salad
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Here’s a recipe that hits the spot in any season, but especially summer: this easy pasta salad! This one’s got all the classic elements: chewy mozzarella balls, crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, salty olives and tangy pops of pepperoncini.

Cover it all in a tangy Italian-style dressing, and it’s a delightful mix of textures, flavors and colors. Alex and I love making this one for a summer potluck or cookout, or it saves well for lunches throughout the week. And, we’ve got so many variations on the classic (caprese, chicken, pesto!): here are all our pasta salad recipes!

Ingredients in pasta salad

There are hundreds of ways to make a pasta salad. This one is our classic spin, using Italian-style ingredients to make a Mediterranean-inspired mix. While pasta itself is Italian, the concept of pasta salad is an American invention. One of the first mentions in print is a macaroni salad recipe published in 1914, though this type of salad came to full popularity in the 1980’s. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for a classic pasta salad recipe:

  • Fusilli spiral pasta or any short-cut pasta (see below)
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Bell pepper
  • Red onion
  • Chopped herbs: basil, parsley or dill
  • Olives
  • Pepperoncini or banana peppers
  • Small mozzarella cheese balls
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Italian-style dressing (see below)
Pasta Salad recipe

For the pasta salad dressing

This pasta salad uses a zingy homemade dressing that’s full of big, homemade flavor. If you don’t have time, you can substitute store-bought as well! Here’s what you’ll need to know about the dressing:

  • The dried herbs make the flavor. Use dried dill, oregano and garlic powder for a savory pop.
  • Using neutral oil plus olive oil makes store well! Olive oil tends to clump up when it’s cold, which makes storage tricky. The solution? Add a neutral oil! Using equal parts organic vegetable oil or grapeseed oil makes a vinaigrette that doesn’t solidify. If you prefer to use all olive oil, feel free! Just make sure to bring it fully to room temp before eating.
  • Substitute ¾ cup purchased Italian dressing if you’re in a rush. Look for the best quality Italian dressing you can find: the flavor varies greatly based on brand.
Pasta Salad

Use any type of short cut pasta

One of the most popular shapes for a pasta salad is spirals, also called fusilli. But you can use a variety of pasta shapes here! Just keep in mind: the surface area of each pasta shape is different. That means that 1 pound of bowties seems like less pasta than 1 pound of spirals, which somehow seem to balloon into a huge batch! Here are a few pasta shapes that work well in a pasta salad recipe:

  • Spirals (fusilli)
  • Penne
  • Bowties (farfalle)
  • Shells (conchiglie)
  • Orecchiette
  • Gemelli
  • Gigli

Makes 10 to 12 side dish servings

One thing to note about this pasta salad recipe: it makes a very large batch! It’s enough for 10 to 12 side dish servings, which is ideal for potlucks and cookouts. If you’re making it for lunches, it’s about 8 lunch-sized servings. Keep in mind, you may want to cut this recipe in half if you don’t plan to eat it all in 5 days. It saves well in the refrigerator, but doesn’t freeze well.

Pasta Salad

Storing leftovers

This pasta salad works great for summer picnics and barbecues, but we also designed it to work for lunches! This one is a fantastic make-ahead recipe that lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. We had to work a bit to engineer that flavor to perfection. Here are a few notes for leftover storage:

  • Using neutral oil makes it store well! As noted above, using neutral oil with olive oil helps so the olive oil doesn’t clump when refrigerated. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving.
  • You may need to add a few pinches of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, or some Parmesan cheese. Some foods become more bland when refrigerated, which is the case with this pasta salad recipe. Taste and add a few pinches salt before serving, if necessary.

What to serve with pasta salad

What to serve alongside this pasta salad? It depends on whether you’re serving it as a side dish or a main dish! You can serve with other sides like cucumber salad or apple slaw, or with a main dish like grilled chicken or grilled cheese. Here are all our ideas on what to serve with pasta salad.

Dietary notes

This pasta salad recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta. For vegan, go to Vegan Pasta Salad.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of pasta is best for pasta salad?

Short, sturdy pasta shapes like rotini, fusilli, penne, or farfalle hold up well in pasta salad and are less likely to become mushy.

Can I make pasta salad ahead of time?

Yes, pasta salad is a great make-ahead dish! In fact, the flavors often meld and develop as the salad sits in the refrigerator. Just be sure to add any delicate ingredients, like fresh herbs or crunchy vegetables, right before serving.

How do I keep my pasta salad from drying out?

To prevent your pasta salad from drying out, toss it with a generous amount of dressing. You can also add a bit of extra olive oil or mayonnaise to the salad to help keep the pasta moist.

What are some delicious variations of pasta salad?

Try adding grilled vegetables, fresh herbs, different types of cheese, or even cooked meats like seared chicken or sauteed shrimp. You can also experiment with different dressings, such as pesto, vinaigrette, or creamy Italian dressing.

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Classic Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad
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5 from 1 review

This pasta salad recipe is bursting with flavor! It’s easy to mix up with veggies, herbs, and a tangy Italian dressing.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 10 to 12 side dish servings 1x
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Pasta salad
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the salad*

  • 1 pound fusilli spiral pasta (or any short-cut pasta like penne, bowties, etc)
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced
  • ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (basil and parsley or dill)
  • ¾ cup black or green olives, sliced
  • ¾ cup sliced pepperoncini or banana peppers
  • 6 ounces small mozzarella cheese balls (Ciliegine)
  • ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

For the dressing**

  • ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon each dried dill, oregano, and garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup neutral oil (like organic vegetable or grapeseed***)
  • Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Start a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and run cool water over it until it’s room temperature.
  2. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes, dice the bell pepper and slice the red onion. Chop the fresh herbs. 
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, dried dill, oregano, garlic powder, kosher salt, and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Then whisk in the olive oil and neutral oil
  4. Once the pasta is done, add it to the large bowl of dressing and toss with the chopped vegetables. Add the olives, pepperoncini, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt to taste. Serve at room temperature or cold. Stores up to 5 days refrigerated (leftovers taste great; allow to come to room temperature and add a swirl more olive oil or a bit more cheese or salt as necessary).

Notes

*This makes a very large batch: 10 to 12 side dish servings or about 8 lunch servings. Consider making a half batch if you can’t eat it all in 5 days.

**In a rush? Substitute ¾ cup Italian dressing or your purchased vinaigrette dressing of choice for the homemade dressing.

***Using neutral oil in a pasta salad helps leftovers keep in the fridge: if you use only olive oil, it clumps up after about 1 day of storage. You can use 100% olive oil if you prefer.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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3 Comments

  1. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!






    1. Kathy says:

      I was wondering what main meal would go good with this. Thanks!

      1. STEVE THOMAS says:

        SHRIMP OR LOBSTER