Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Looking for the perfect summer side dish? Try this Easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe. Made from simple yet satisfying ingredients, this pasta salad recipe is always a good idea.
What’s great, is that this recipe comes together in under 30 minutes too. Perfect for picnics or as a meal prep item throughout the week. This recipe is so versatile your entire family will love it.
If you love pasta salad try my Italian Grinder Salad or this Peach Caprese Pasta Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to pull this impressive pasta salad recipe together.
- Great for parties. This flavor combination is always a hit at parties because it goes with some many things. My grilled Greek Chicken Souvlaki or Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Thighs would taste great alongside this dish.
- Prep ahead of time. Short on time? Simply prep this recipe ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator. However, only add the dressing once you’re ready to serve it.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta – This recipe calls for tortiglioni pasta cooked al dente.
- Meats – This recipe calls for sliced hard salami cut into wedges.
- Vegetables – You’ll need marinated artichoke hearts, diced English cucumber, sliced cherry tomatoes, small pitted black olives and diced or thinly sliced shallots for this salad.
- Cheese – This recipe calls for cubed mozzarella cheese. option to use mozzarella pearls instead.
- Herbs – You’ll need freshly chopped Italian parsley for this recipe.
- Seasoning – Season the pasta salad with a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper.
- Dressing – Combine extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dried oregano, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Mix until well combined.
Delallo Foods
This post was sponsored by Delallo Foods. While I was compensated for my time all opinions are my own.
This pasta salad recipe calls for Delallo’s tortiglioni pasta which is one of my favorite cuts. It’s similar to rigatoni but slightly thinner and longer. It’s perfect for pasta salad. I also love Delallo’s marinated artichoke hearts. They are meaty and flavorful.
For an extra layer of flavor, try grilling your artichoke hearts for 3-4 minutes flipping them halfway through. Make sure you add a sheet of aluminum foil to the grill before adding the artichokes to the grill. The oil in the marinade will help prevent the artichoke hearts from sticking. Remove the artichokes from the grill and allow them too cool. You will find that the crispy char adds a layer of flavor to the pasta salad that hard to resist.
Other Delallo ingredients used in this salad recipe include, their small pitted black olives, mozzarella cheese, and premium sliced hard salami. Everything gets tossed in my delicious homemade red wine vinaigrette. The red wine vinaigrette is made from Delallo private reserve extra virgin olive oil, honey, dried oregano, kosher salt, cracked black pepper and Delallo’s red wine vinegar.
How to Make
Boil the Pasta
- Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the package. Al dente is best. Drain the water using a colander and allow the pasta to cool. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Prep the Veggies, Cheese and Meats
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Core and dice the cucumber into easy to eat pieces. Slice or dice the shallots. Cube the mozzarella cheese and cut the salami into wedges.
- Optional step – Grill your artichokes for 3-4 minutes flipping them halfway through. The oil in the marinade will help prevent the artichoke hearts from sticking to the grill. Remove from the grill and allow them too cool.
Prepare the Dressing
- In a small mixing bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dried oregano, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Whisk until well combined.
Assemble
- Combine the cooked al dente pasta, cubed mozzarella, diced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced or diced shallots, salami wedges, small black olives, grilled artichoke hearts and chopped Italian parsley in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Add the dressing and gently toss until well coated. Serve and enjoy.
Storage
- Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Enjoy with your favorite protein for a delicious and simple weeknight meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, however only add the dressing once you’re ready to serve.
Sure, you can swap the cubed mozzarella for cubed Swiss cheese or crumbled feta.
Other Pasta salad Recipes to Consider Trying
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 colander
- 1 small mixing bowl
- 1 grill optonial
Ingredients
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
- 6 – 8 ounces tortiglioni pasta, Delallo, al dente
- 8 slices premium sliced hard salami, Delallo, cut into wedges
- ¾ cup marinated artichoke hearts, Delallo, option to grill the artichokes
- ¾ cup English cucumber, diced, core the cucumber with a spoon before dicing
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
- ½ cup small pitted black olives, Delallo, about half of a 6 ounce can drained
- ½ – ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, Delallo, cubed into small pieces
- ¼ cup shallots, diced or thinly sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped small
- pinch kosher salt and cracked black pepper , to season
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup private reserve extra virgin olive oil, Delallo
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, Delallo
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- few turns cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Boil the Pasta
- Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the package. Al dente is best. Drain the water using a colander and allow the pasta to cool. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Prep the Veggies, Cheese and Meats
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Core and dice the cucumber into easy to eat pieces. Slice or dice the shallots. Cube the mozzarella cheese and cut the salami into wedges. Optional step – Grill your artichokes for 3-4 minutes flipping them halfway through. The oil in the marinade will help prevent the artichokes from sticking. Remove from the grill and allow them too cool.
Prepare the Dressing
- In a small mixing bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dried oregano, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Whisk until well combined.
Assemble
- Combine the cooked al dente pasta, cubed mozzarella, diced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced or diced shallots, salami wedges, small black olives, grilled artichoke hearts and chopped Italian parsley in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Add the dressing and gently toss until well coated. Serve and enjoy.
4 Comments on “Easy Italian Pasta Salad”
I just made this last weekend for a large graduation party. I made it the day before and just kept the dressing aside until the day of the party. Everyone raved about how good it was! I had leftovers the next day and it still tasted delicious. Super light yet flavorful.
This is a great recipe for a quick pasta salad! It’s light but still full of great flavor without being too salty. I love this one!
I’ve made this twice in 2 weeks. I really like the artichokes and I was very skeptical. Very easy and tasty.
This pasta salad is great! Perfect flavor and ingredient combo for Italian pasta salad. Easy and delicious!