This easy pasta salad is packed with fresh vegetables and topped with a zesty homemade dressing. Pasta salad is so versatile that you can use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand or in the garden, you can use homemade or store bought dressing, and you can also easily make it gluten-free, dairy-free, keto or vegan.
I’ve never been a fan of pasta salad that has lots of mayonnaise in it, instead I like the fresh tangy flavor of pasta salads that are dressed with a vinaigrette dressing. One reason I like vinaigrette pasta salads is they are so very versatile – I can use whatever vegetables I happen to have on hand or in the garden, plus I can squeeze quite a lot of vegetables into the pasta salad.
Pasta Salad Ingredients
Pasta – While you can use pretty much any pasta for this easy pasta salad, I like to use pasta that has some texture to it like penne, rotini, fusille or farfalle (bow tie) so that it doesn’t turn mushy. These pastas also have lots of surface areas with their nooks and crannies which allows more dressing and bits of cheese or nuts to get trapped in them.
Vegetables – My favorite vegetables to use in pasta salad are summer squash and zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and red onions. But in the winter I use chopped broccoli, spinach and carrots because that’s what I have growing in my garden. I also like to add some chopped microgreens which I grow year round. Sometimes I’ll add avocado before I serve the pasta salad. You can also add olives and fermented peppers to your pasta salad. Truly the possibilities are endless.
Legumes – Chickpeas are really great in pasta salad and so are nuts and seeds. I like peanuts, sunflower seeds, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in pasta salad. You could also use pine nuts, although they are pretty pricey.
Cheese and Meat – I don’t normally add cheese or meat to our pasta salad but parmesan, mozzarella, and feta cheese are all good cheese choices. Pepperoni, salami, chicken, or even salmon are good meat choices.
Dressing – While I love the zesty dressing in this recipe, you can honestly use your favorite vinaigrette dressing (even if it’s store bought)
How to Make Pasta Salad
Boil the pasta until they are a little softer than al dente but not mushy. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to keep it from turning into one big ball of pasta while it cools. Let it cool completely before adding it to the vegetables.
Wash all the vegetables and chop them into bite size pieces. If you are going to use avocado wait until you are going to serve the salad to add it.
Once the pasta has cooled, combine the pasta, vegetables, nuts or seeds, cheese and meat in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the mixture and toss the pasta salad until everything is well mixed.
Taste and adjust. Like all salads, pasta salad is easy to tweak so do some adjusting if needed.
Before serving, you can add some fresh herbs such as basil or parsley to brighten the salad a bit.
Easy Pasta Salad Variations
Gluten free – use your favorite gluten free pasta instead of regular pasta.
Grain free and keto – use grain free pasta such as chickpea or lentil pasta
Vegan – omit the meat and cheese or substitute the cheese with a dairy free or vegan cheese
Storing Pasta Salad
One of the great things about a vinaigrette pasta salad is that its actually better the day after it’s been made. This makes is a great make ahead dish that you can store in the refrigerator.
Pasta salad needs to be covered when its stored in the refrigerator or the pasta will start to dry out. I like to use pyrex storage containers but you can also just use a bowl with plastic wrap.
Just how long does pasta salad last in the fridge? Officially pasta salad will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator according to FoodSaftey.gov. However, I think it also depends on what vegetables you’ve used, how long you cooked the pasta, and how much dressing you put on the salad.
I’ve never had pasta salad grow mold (there’s just too much vinegar in the dressing) but I have had the vegetables start to get soft, especially when I use summer squash and zucchini or avocado. It doesn’t happen when I use broccoli and carrots. If you are using hearty vegetables like broccoli and carrots the pasta salad will keep longer than 3-4 days.
Just use your common sense and best judgement, if you open the container on day 5 and it looks off or smells weird, it’s time to compost it.
Pasta salad does not freeze well, so don’t try it. The vegetables will turn to mush when they thaw out. Just make enough for a few days.
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Quick and Easy Pasta Salad
This easy pasta salad is packed with fresh vegetables and topped with a zesty homemade dressing. Pasta salad is so versatile that you can use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand or in the garden, you can use homemade or store bought dressing, and you can also easily make it gluten-free, dairy-free, keto or vegan.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 cups uncooked pasta such as penne, rotini, fusille or farfalle (bow tie)
- 6 cups chopped vegetables such as summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, red onion, broccoli, carrots, spinach, microgreens, olives, or fermented peppers
- 1/4 cup sunflower or pepitas
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas
- 1 cup crumbled Feta OR 1/2 cup grated parmesan (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni or salami (optional)
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Combine all the dressing ingredients into a mason jar with a lid.
- Shake until well mixed. If you don't have a jar with a lid, you can mix it the ingredients in a bowl.
Make the Pasta Salad
- Boil the pasta until they are a little softer than al dente but not mushy. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to keep it from turning into one big ball of pasta while it cools. Let it cool completely before adding it to the vegetables.
- Wash all the vegetables and chop them into bite size pieces. If you are going to use avocado wait until you are going to serve the salad to add it.
- Once the pasta has cooled, combine the pasta, vegetables, nuts or seeds, cheese and meat in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the mixture and toss the pasta salad until everything is well mixed.
- Taste and adjust. Like all salads, pasta salad is easy to tweak so do some adjusting if needed.
- Before serving, you can add some fresh herbs such as basil or parsley to brighten the salad a bit.
The Schneiders
Wednesday 18th of May 2011
Freckles and Fun: It gets so hot here that planting time is almost over. I still need to plant my okra, but it's probably too late for anything else. Most of our garden will be burned up by July, esp. if we don't get any rain.
Kirstin: I never thought of putting cheese or salami in it. I will definately have to try that.
Kara: Thanks! Actually, I'll be bringing it to the church picnic. Hopefully we'll have some homegrown tomatoes by then.
Kara
Wednesday 18th of May 2011
This looks delicious, Angie! I'm going to have to try it.
Kirstin
Tuesday 17th of May 2011
Yum! Isn't it amazing how simple a pasta salad can be. I do the same thing, adding cubes of cheese, salami chunks, and whatever veggies I have on hand.
Freckles and Fun
Tuesday 17th of May 2011
Wow! I must say I'm jealous of your garden! That's amazing!! We haven't even started our garden yet! Wouldn't I just LOVE to be a guest at your dinner table! I LOVE squash! And your pasta salad looks delicious - thanks for sharing it!