Summer Pasta Salad

This summer pasta salad is the perfect light lunch or side dish salad to whip up. Rotini pasta, salami, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and more are all smothered in a homemade Italian dressing that throws this easy pasta salad recipe into a fully loaded summer salad recipe.

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I make this pasta salad with salami for summer cookouts, pool party days, easy lunches to snack on during summer break, or even the occasional side dish to go along with dinner. You can alter vegetables used to use up the fresh produce you have on hand.

Scroll over and check out my Greek pasta salad, BLT salad, or my dill pickle pasta salad. All of these are great pasta salad recipes that are loaded with tasty ingredients.

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Why You Will Love This Summer Pasta Salad…

• This salad is fully loaded with fresh crisp vegetables so you are getting a lot of nutrients in each bite.
• A homemade dressing was made to give the salad that stand-out flavor compared to using a bottled dressing.
• Versatile in ingredients you use for making the salad.
• You can make this pasta salad recipe ahead of time, so it has more time to blend all the flavors together. Then toss and serve when you are ready.
• Light ingredients which make it great for eating on hot summer days when you don’t want something heavy.

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Ingredients Needed

Here is a quick look at what you are going to use to make this summer salad. Of course, you can pick and choose different ingredients to create your own custom salad.

• Pasta
• Salami
• Peppers – Red, orange, and yellow bell pepper
• Cucumbers
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Black Olives
• Red Onion
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Italian Seasoning
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Parsley
• Salt and Pepper

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Variations or Substitutes

Let me share a handful of ways you can change up this easy summer salad recipe. Feel free to stick to the recipe I have, or swap and change ingredients.

Veggies – Any type of crisp vegetable works for adding to the salad If you don’t like one or more of my vegetables used, then leave them out. Broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, snap peas, and more all can be used in addition to other veggies.

Cheese – Slice up some cubed cheese to mix in, toss in some shredded parmesan cheese, or opt for shredded cheese. Parmesan, mozzarella, Gouda, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and more all could make great additions to the recipe.

Meat in Salad – So another meat option I would recommend is adding in some sliced pepperoni in addition, or in replace of the salami. You could even do diced ham, chopped chicken, or even chopped turkey.

Dressing – I opted to make a homemade dressing to help create a fresher flavor. Now, if you would like you can easily swap with a bottled dressing you would like. Italian dressing or even a creamy Italian dressing would be a delicious addition to the salad mix.

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Storing Pasta Salad

Refrigerate any of the salad, that you have not eaten. Keep in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days. Make sure between servings you toss it well as the dressing can settle to the bottom of the container.

Now in terms of freezing, this will not freeze well. The vegetables will become soft and unedible. It is recommended to only make and serve what you plan to eat before it spoils.

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Tips For Making Pasta Salad

Slicing Vegetables

Make sure that when you go to slice up the vegetables they are uniform in size and smaller pieces. You do not want to slice up larger pieces that are harder to eat.

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Rinse Pasta in Cool Water

Once your pasta is done being cooked, run pasta under cold water to allow it to stop cooking. This is a must or you will end up with really soft or soggy pasta.

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Toss Carefully

When mixing up the salad make sure to not mix too hard. If you do it, this allows the pasta or vegetables to break apart.

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Season

If you find your salad lacks flavor add in additional salt, pepper, or spices to help enhance the flavor.

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Chill

Allowing the pasta salad to chill in the fridge for an hour or so at the minimum is going to help the dressing to blend with the pasta and vegetables to create a more flavorful salad.

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FAQs

Can I use frozen vegetables in pasta salad?

If you want to use frozen vegetables just thaw them fully first. You will find some vegetables will work being frozen and used in the recipe. Other vegetables might have too soft of a texture for your liking. So feel free to play around with what ingredients you use.

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How do I prevent the pasta from absorbing all the dressing?

One tip I recommend is saving back some of the dressing and then use that for adding in a little at a time when you go to serve it up. This helps to keep the pasta from fully soaking into the pasta. I find this recipe tends to have a good amount of dressing.

How far in advance can I make pasta salad?

I would recommend only making the pasta salad a day or two in advance. YOu will find the vegetables will begin to soften a bit if you keep it in the fridge too long. So for the best flavor eat it sooner than later.

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Is pasta salad served hot or cold?

This particular salad is served cold, whereas some pasta salads might be served warm. But for this recipe, you want a chilled temperature.

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More Side Dish recipes

Want more easy side dish recipes to whip up? Here are a few more of our popular recipes that you might want to try out soon.

• Cheddar Bay Biscuits
• Funeral Potatoes
• Tropical Macaroni Salad