Active Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 15 mins

Servings:

8

Easy pasta salad is a can't-miss side dish for spring and summer. It’s unfussy, crowd pleasing for all ages, and a snap to make. And it’s perfect for BBQs, potlucks, tailgate parties—just about any al fresco gathering.

This is a super colorful easy pasta salad, too, with an abundance of different flavors. In this recipe, olives and pepperoncini add acid and punchiness that complements the dressing, and the raw tomatoes and artichokes round out the dish with fresh veggies as well as a nice crunch. Mozzarella pearls add pops of delightful creaminess.

Learn how to make easy pasta salad. Serve it alongside hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, or any other classic picnic fare.

Easy Pasta Salad Ingredients

Pasta salad is always a bit variable, depending on what you like and have in the fridge. To make easy pasta salad, start with:

Fusilli pasta: You can use any type of short-noodle pasta you have, but we like fusilli because the twists capture more of the dressing.
Multi-colored cherry tomatoes: The cherry tomatoes add color, but you can also cut up a regular tomato.
Fresh mozzarella cheese pearls: These mini cheese balls add a pop of delightful creaminess. Look for these in the artisan cheese section. If you can't find them, you can chop up a larger mozzarella ball.
Marinated quartered artichoke hearts: These add a nice tang and great texture.
Dry-cured pork salami: Optional, but we like the umami-rich meaty flavor.
Fresh basil leaves: Also optional, but basil just says "summer" in this dish.
Bottled Italian dressing: Use your favorite. Keep extra to add to leftovers.
Orange bell pepper: An orange pepper is a little more pricey than basic green, but its color is extra special. Use any color you like.
Castelvetrano olives: These olives have a purer flavor and a bit less olive tang, so most people will like them, even if they aren't an olive person.

Pepperoncini salad peppers: We like these for the burst of acidic tang.
Black pepper and Kosher salt: To round out the flavor.

Southern Living Pasta Salad ingredients — Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

How To Make Easy Pasta Salad

The full recipe is below, but here's a brief recap:

Boil pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high, add pasta, and cook. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside.
Add pasta salad ingredients. Place the tomatoes, mozzarella, artichokes, salami, basil, Italian dressing, bell pepper, olives, pepperoncini, black pepper, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add pasta. Add the pasta to the bowl and toss to combine.
Chill. Let the pasta salad stand for at least five minutes before serving, stirring occasionally. Or cover and chill overnight.

Why Is Pasta Salad Better the Next Day?

As this easy pasta salad sits, the pasta absorbs more flavors from the dressing, making it even better the next day. Plus, unlike more delicate salads that include lettuce, pasta is hearty and holds up so it makes excellent leftovers. It will keep up to five days in the fridge.

For these reasons, it’s also ideal as a make-ahead dish. When you’re ready to serve, just pull it out of the fridge and serve it either at room temperature or cold.

Southern Living Pasta Salad in a bowl to serve — Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

How Do You Make Pasta Salad Not Dry?

If you find your pasta salad tastes too dry, simply add more dressing to taste. You can also amp up other ingredients that impart both moistness and flavor, like additional tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and peppers.

Easy Pasta Salad Variations

The salami in this recipe adds both saltiness and a dose of protein. (Look for the dry sausage in log form, typically sold by the fancy cheese section at the store and wrapped in paper packaging.) But for a lighter side salad — and a vegetarian alternative — you can easily leave out the salami in this classic pasta salad recipe.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Love pasta salads and their next-day good nature? Try these other favorite pasta salads next;

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

1 (16-oz.) pkg. fusilli pasta
1 pt. multi-colored cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, drained
2 cups marinated quartered artichoke hearts (from 1 [14 1/2-oz.] jar)
1 1/2 cups diced dry-cured pork salami (6 oz.)
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves (from 1 [2-oz.] pkg.)
1 cup bottled italian dressing
3/4 cup chopped orange bell pepper (from 1 medium [8 oz.] pepper)
1/2 cup halved Castelvetrano olives
1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini salad peppers
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Cook pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high; add pasta, and cook according to package directions.

Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Drain and rinse under cold water until cool, about 1 minute; drain and set aside.

Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Combine other salad ingredients:

Place tomatoes, mozzarella, artichokes, salami, basil, Italian dressing, bell pepper, olives, pepperoncini, black pepper, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Finish pasta salad:

Add pasta, tossing to evenly combine. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally. (Pasta Salad may be covered and chilled overnight).

Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke