Italian Pasta Salad

This quick and flavorful cold Italian pasta salad is filled with pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and homemade Italian dressing. It’s perfect for summer potlucks and barbecues, or entertaining year-round!

Pasta salads are great because they’re easy, can be made ahead of time, and feed a crowd. But not all pasta salads are created equal, am I right? 

Thankfully this Italian pasta salad recipe is anything but bland or boring! It’s filled with fresh bold flavors, and a delicious combination of textures. You’ll love all the crunchy veggies, salty pepperoni, creamy mozzarella, and tangy Italian vinaigrette. Make it for your next gathering and watch it disappear.

Table of Contents

Tip: You can absolutely change up some of this list to fit what you like or what you have on hand. Use salami instead of the pepperoni, swap the black olives for green olives, or add pepperoncini peppers or artichoke hearts.

How to make homemade Italian dressing

The first time I made this salad I planned to use bottled Italian dressing to keep things simple, but I didn’t like any of the options. And it turns out, Italian dressing is extremely easy to make at home, and I even already had all of the ingredients (I bet you do too!).

Here’s what you’ll need to grab from the pantry for this easy vinaigrette:

• Olive oil
• Red or white wine vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Italian seasoning
• Dried basil
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper

Let’s make this Italian pasta salad

1. Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a jar and give it a good shake until combined. (You can make it right before tossing the pasta salad, or up to several days in advance, just keep it in the fridge.)
2. Boil the pasta. Cook in generously salted water until al dente (use the box instructions for timing). When the pasta is done, drain but don’t rinse! Toss with a little of the dressing and spread it out on a sheet pan to let it cool while you prep everything else.
3. Chop veggies. I prefer small uniform pieces so you can get a forkful of a lot all at once.
4. Toss the salad. Add everything to a large bowl and toss to combine. (The dressing will separate as it sits, so give it a good shake before pouring it over the salad.)  
5. Chill for 2 hours or more. Letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours gives the flavors in the salad time to meld and develop. 
6. Serve cold. Give the salad a quick toss and you’re good to go! Leftovers should always be stored in the fridge and enjoyed within a few days.

Tips for this recipe

• Generously salt water for pasta. This gives the pasta a boost of flavor right from the beginning.
• Cook the pasta just past the point of “al dente”. This will keep the pasta soft as it cools.
• DO NOT rinse the cooked pasta under cold water. You’ll wash away all the flavor and starch. Instead add some of the dressing to keep the pasta from sticking together and then spread it out on a sheet pan to cool.
• This pasta salad is best 2-24 hours after assembling. It needs a little chilling time for all of the flavors to meld, but too much time will make some of the vegetables mushy. 
• If you want to prep the salad more than 1 day ahead: Chop all veggies and store in the fridge. Toss cooked pasta with prepared dressing and store in the fridge separately from the veggies. Before serving, slice and prepare cheeses, slice basil, and toss the whole salad together.
• Make it your own! Don’t be afraid to customize this recipe as you like: use gluten-free noodles to keep it GF, use bottled Italian dressing if you want to, add or swap out veggies, add diced ham or chicken for additional protein.

Get this recipe

This Italian pasta salad was originally published in 2019.

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