Classic Italian Pasta Salad is a quick, easy & colorful cold summer salad. It is perfect for barbeques, potlucks, and meal prep. Tender cooked pasta, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, fresh herbs and Italian seasoning vinaigrette all tossed together to make this zesty summer salad recipe.
We love hearty filling salads. Lentil Salad, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Mexican Street Corn Salad and Orzo Pasta Salad are all nourishing and filling besides this amazing Italian Pasta Salad.
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe is superbly flavorful, with the perfect mixture of sweet and savory and spicy ingredients. Everything blends together just perfectly. Fresh herbs elevate simple Italian vinaigrette to next level.
I especially love Mediterranean Recipes that focus on fresh seasonal ingredients. This vegetarian pasta salad is so versatile so adjust the ingredients to your liking. Also it tastes amazing when you serve it chilled. So make it ahead of time.
Ingredients
Pasta: Al dente pasta forms the hearty base, soaking up every burst of savory flavor and herb-infused dressing for a balanced, satisfying meal.
Mozzarella Cheese: Creamy, fresh mozzarella cheese lends a rich, velvety texture that perfectly complements the tangy notes in this classic Italian pasta salad.
Cucumbers: Crisp cucumbers provide a refreshing crunch and a cool contrast, enhancing the salad’s vibrant, Mediterranean appeal.
Tomatoes: Juicy, ripe tomatoes add a burst of natural sweetness and tang, elevating the dish with their sun-kissed flavor profile.
Fresh Basil: Fragrant fresh basil crowns the salad with its aromatic, peppery essence, infusing the recipe with genuine Italian authenticity.
You can make things incredibly simple by taking advantage of store-bought Italian dressing. Or I have super simple recipe to make it at home.
How to make Italian Herb Vinaigrette
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.
Easy Substitutions
- We can call it clean your refrigerator salad too. It’s incredibly customizable, so feel free to substitute in any of your favorite ingredients that you have on hand. Fresh, roasted, marinated or grilled veggies go very well in this.
- Make it fancy with marinated olives, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. Some firm fruit like apples, kiwis, cantaloupe or melon will be ok to add too.
- If you have leftover antipasto ingredients, use them all up. The sky’s the limit to make it to your likings.
How to make Italian Pasta Salad
Simply cook up a batch of your favorite pasta. I used tri-color rotini for extra color and texture. You can use any short cut Italian Pasta. Gluten free pasta works well too.
After pasta is cooked, drain and rinse the pasta quickly in some cold water. It stop the cooking process and pasta becomes al Dante.
While pasta is cooking, chop all other veggies. Bite-sized pieces work better. Drain the pasta, run the cold water. If possible refrigerate the pasta for an hour.
Toss everything together. Generously pour the salad dressing / vinaigrette over. Toss toss toss - done and dusted !
How to Make Pasta in Instant Pot
- Making pasta in Instant Pot or electrical pressure cooker is super simple. Pour pasta in the main insert. Add a teaspoon of oil and salt. Pour just enough water to cover the pasta. DO NOT SUBMERGE.
- Close the lid. Place the knob in Sealing position. Now the fun part to select the cooking time. Read the cooking time on the pasta package. You want to choose ½ that time minus 1 minute. So for example, if pasta box suggests you to boil pasta for 8 minutes , for Instant Pot you will do ½ -1 so 3 minutes. ( 8-4-1=3).
- Choose Manual 3 minutes high pressure. After Instant Pot does cooking and beeps, Wait for 3 minutes on keep warm timer and release the pressure. ( quick pressure release by turning the knob from sealing to venting)
- Carefully open the lid. Dump the pasta in a colander and run cold water over it for few minutes. Your Al Dante pasta is ready.
Our Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes
- Greek Fresh pasta Salad
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Orzo Pasta Salad
- Chickpea Pasta With Broccoli
- Pasta Fresca
- Penne Rosa
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📖 Recipe
Italian Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz.) box of pasta I used Rotini
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Toppings
- 1 large cucumber diced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese balls or any Italian cheese cubes
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 1 cup bell peppers I used mini
- 1 cup favorite Italian dressing
Instructions
- Boil the pasta with the salt in the water according to the package until al dente.
- While the pasta is happening, wash and dice all of the vegetables.
- After the pasta is finished, rinse it under cold tap water. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, and all chopped vegetables. Toss in cheese balls. Drizzle the Italian Herb Vinaigrette on top, then toss to combine.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and fresh cracked black pepper. Bon appetite!!
Using Instant Pot for cooking Pasta
- If using the Instant Pot, cover the pasta with water, season with salt and then cook on Manual HIGH for 4 min and then wait for 3 min keep warm counter and then release the pressure by turning the knob to venting.
Notes
How to make Gluten-free Italian Summer Pasta Salad :
You can use gluten free pasta instead of regular pasta to make this recipe Gluten free .How to make Vegan Italian Summer Pasta Salad :
You can use vegan and dairy free cheese instead of regular cheese to make this recipe Vegan. You can simply skip the cheese as well.Nutrition
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This recipe was originally published on May 2019. It has revised with better quality photos and modified instructions on July 2024.
Lori
Hello! I just love the Italian Summer Pasta Salad and was wondering how many cups is one serving, as I’m counting calories?
Thank you!
admin
Lori, it's 12 oz pasta plus lots of veggies. so roughly 2 cups of serving
Roslia Santamaria
This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients ?