Zesty homemade Italian dressing is tossed with rotini pasta, chopped veggies, mozzarella, and Genoa salami in this fast and easy recipe for Italian pasta salad. This is the perfect side dish for potlucks and bbqs because it feeds a crowd and can be made in advance!
Here’s Why Everyone Asks for this Recipe!
It seems like you can’t visit a grocery store deli counter without spying a bowl of Italian pasta salad with slightly mushy noodles and a few sad veggies in an artificial-tasting, too-much-vinegar-but-still-tastes-bland dressing that makes your mouth pucker. That is NOT this salad!
This easy pasta salad is DIVINE! In this recipe, al denté pasta with just the right bite makes the perfect noodle bed for chunks of Italian-inspired flavors like briny olives, creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and salty Genoa salami.
The homemade Italian dressing coating every bite of this pasta salad takes about a minute to whisk together. It’s fresh-tasting and zippy from the red wine vinegar, and a simple blend of garlic powder and Italian seasoning adds loads of flavor.
Pasta salads like this Italian version are so simple to prepare and way better than store-bought, so they’re always the first to go at potlucks and holiday gatherings!
Enjoy! Heidi
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- I made my batch of pasta salad with rotini pasta, but any short and sturdy pasta shape will work. (Think: penne, bow tie, etc.)
- Tweak this recipe to make it your own! It’s easy to make gluten-free by swapping in gluten-free pasta, the olives can be omitted or replaced with your favorite variety, and the Genoa salami can be subbed with good ol’ pepperoni.
- In a perfect world, you’d chill the salad for 30 minutes before serving. This gives the pasta time to soak up some of the Italian dressing. If you’re short on time, skip the chill time (I won’t tell anyone, promise!).
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pasta — I prefer rotini pasta since the spirals make it perfect for soaking up the dressing and ensuring every bite is super flavorful.
- Veggies + black olives — I chopped up a blend of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers for that classic Italian vibe to go with salty slices of black olives.
- Salami — Genoa salami is softer than other varieties of salami and has a slightly spiced, garlicky flavor. Or, try a red-pepper-spiced calabrese or a dry-aged salami instead.
- Cheese — Cubed fresh mozzarella is added to the pasta salad, and freshly grated Parm is sprinkled over top before serving.
- Italian flat leaf parsley — Adds a final pop of freshness that brings this pasta salad together.
- Italian dressing — My favorite Italian dressing for any pasta salad is always a homemade variety! I mixed together a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to dress this simple pasta salad. If using a store-bought variety, you’ll need roughly ¾ cup for this recipe. (Or, try my Italian salad dressing, which calls for canola oil.)
Ingredient Substitutions and Additions
Feel free to swap or add other Italian-profile ingredients like: Roasted red bell peppers for the fresh; add artichoke hearts; swap kalamata olives for black olives; sun-dried tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes; or sub fresh mozzarella balls for the diced cheese.
How to Make Italian Pasta Salad
- Boil the rotini pasta. The trick to a really good pasta salad is to cook the pasta just until al dente. You want it to have some bite to it, because the pasta will soften as it sits in the Italian dressing.
Heidi’s Tip: I normally don’t recommend rinsing cooked pasta, but it’s a good idea when making pasta salad. Rinsing cooked pasta removes some of its excess starches and prevents it from clumping together, which is something you want to avoid when making pasta salad!
- Combine the pasta salad ingredients. Add the cooled and rinsed rotini, chopped veggies, olives, salami, and mozzarella to a large serving bowl.
- Toss with the Italian dressing. I like to whisk together the dressing in a separate bowl to make sure it’s evenly combined before tossing with the pasta salad ingredients. Sprinkle the whole thing with Parm and chopped parsley before digging in.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Once tossed in the Italian dressing, the pasta salad is fine to chill in the fridge overnight (or up to 12 hours) before serving.
In fact, this is one dish that actually tastes better if it’s been made in advance! The pasta soaks up some of the dressing, which does double duty of softening it and infusing it with tons of Italian flavor.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
The Best Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces sliced black olives, drained
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 English cucumber, halved then quartered (keep skin)
- 1 cup chopped Genoa salami
- 1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese, bite-size
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Italian Dressing:
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook 1 pound of the pasta in salted water according to package directions, minus 2 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse lightly with cool water, and set aside to cool.
- Add the pasta to a large bowl and add 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes, 8 ounces black olives, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 1 English cucumber, 1 cup salami, and 1 cup cubed mozzarella.
- In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the pasta then toss to coat. Sprinkle ½ cup Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup chopped parsley, toss, and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to overnight before serving. Add more olive oil if needed, taste for seasoning, and serve.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Italian Pasta Salad
- Sandwiches — Crispy Chicken Caesar Wraps, Juicy Turkey Burgers, Baked Hamburgers, Italian Sausage Sandwiches
- Grilled Proteins — Moist Grilled Salmon, BBQ Chicken, Garlic Shrimp Skewers
- Main Dishes — Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Salmon with Basil Gremolata
Storage Tips
Store the pasta salad, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will soften over time, so eat it fast! Definitely don’t try freezing the leftovers; neither the pasta nor the fresh veggies freeze well.
More Italian-Inspired Pasta Salads That Feed a Crowd
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Strawberry Balsamic Pasta Salad
- Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad
- Cold Spaghetti Pasta Salad
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Margarita
This looks amazing, I will be making it for the Summer Solstice this week. Now that our southwest heat is quickly arriving, I’m always looking for cool, healthy, and delicious dishes. Thank you for sharing!
What a great excuse to make something good! Bring on the summer eats!! Enjoy!