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If pasta salad doesn’t scream summertime, than I don’t know what does.
Pasta salad is a summertime staple here in the Midwest. You can expect to see it served at picnics, backyard parties, pool parties, etc.
Today, I am sharing my take on an Italian inspired pasta salad. It’s got loads of Italian veggies and flavors, all dressed in a zesty Italian vinaigrette. It’s ideal for any summertime party situation…or for an easy meal at home.
Italian pasta salad is loaded with crunchy veggies, including cucumbers, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and olives. Instead of cubed cheese, there are soft, balls of fresh mozzarella cheese, and good quality salami for protein. The Italian dressing is so, so good. It’s tangy, slightly sweet, herby, and loaded with salty Parmesan cheese. It really brings the entire salad together.
It’s pasta salad….but elevated.
Ingredients for Italian pasta salad with salami
As always, the measurements for the ingredients are in the recipe card below, but let’s dive deep into the ingredients here.
Italian dressing:
- red wine vinegar – for that bright, zesty tanginess we expect in an Italian dressing.
- extra virgin olive oil – for that fruity oil goodness that makes a vinaigrette so luscious.
- Dijon mustard – for that tangy bite that adds so much depth of flavor to any dressing.
- honey – for a hint of sweetness that rounds out the vinaigrette.
- kosher salt – to bring out the flavors in the entire salad.
- black pepper – for a hint of complex spice.
- onion powder – THIS! Is the secret ingredient to a good Italian dressing. Extra onion powder adds a hint of sweetness and a subtle onion flavor that really makes this vinaigrette have an Italian taste to it.
- dried basil, oregano, and thyme – what is anything Italian flavored without some basil, oregano, and thyme? They add great herbaceous flavor.
- red pepper flakes – (Optional). For just a hint of heat.
- garlic cloves, minced – Is it even Italian food if there isn’t garlic included? Adds so much flavor!
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese – The second secret ingredient to this Italian dressing, is a good quality, finely grated Parmesan cheese. It adds a complex, cheesy, umami flavor to the entire salad. Make sure you get a freshly grated Parm from the deli counter, and not from the grocery aisle. It makes ALL the difference!
Italian Salad
- short cut pasta – Of course, you can’t have a pasta salad without soft, pillow-y pasta. Feel free to use a gluten free pasta, if needed.
- mini cucumbers – I just love cucumbers in everything all summer long. The cucumbers get kind of pickled in the dressing – so good! I like using the mini cucumbers because they stay extra crunchy.
- green bell pepper – another classic Italian veggie. Crunchy, and bright.
- red onion – the onion flavor mellows out in the dressing, leaving behind a nice crunchy hint of onion in every bite.
- grape, or cherry tomatoes – juicy, and essential to anything Italian, right?
- canned artichoke hearts – Love them!!! Tangy, soft, and an easy way to add veggies to the salad. Just open the can, drain, and dump.
- sliced, black olives – Essential. You could easily sub the black olives for green, if you prefer.
- fresh mozzarella pearls – The perfect cheese for anything Italian!!! Mild, tender, and so good.
- salami – For all the Italian vibes, in it’s salty, fatty, glory. I recommend getting a good quality salami from the deli section. You could easily omit the salami if you’re wanting to keep the salad vegetarian.
Optional garnishes
- fresh herbs: basil, extra thyme, extra oregano, and parsley – they add so much flavor!
- extra Parmesan cheese – Always!
- extra red pepper flakes – if you want to spice things up a little more!
That’s all you need to make this delicious, and elevated, but-totally-not-complicated Italian pasta salad!!!
The best part, is the ingredients are customizable, if you don’t have some veggies on hand, or don’t like them, you can easily leave them out. There will still be enough in there to keep the party exciting.
The pasta salad party, that is!
How to make Italian pasta salad
Of course, there are more detailed directions in the recipe card below, but let’s give you a snapshot here. It’s so easy!
- Boil the water for the pasta.
- Make the Italian dressing – while the water is coming to a boil you just whisk all of the Ingredients for the Italian dressing, together in a large mixing bowl.
- Cook the pasta – Cook until al dente. Drain, and rinse until cold.
- Toss the pasta in the dressing – it helps to flavor the pasta from the inside out.
- prepare the remaining ingredients – chop up the veggies, and open the cans, dump it into the bowl with the pasta.
- Toss – Toss everything together until it’s all coated in that glorious Italian dressing!
- Chill – you can eat the salad right away, but, this pasta salad is best when it’s been chilled.
- Serve – Garnish with the fresh herbs, and/or extra parmesan cheese, if desired. Pretty!
Couldn’t be any easier to make!
25 (ish) minutes, and you’re done!
How long does this Italian pasta salad last in the fridge?
3 days.
In fact, it gets better after it has sat for at least 2 to 6 hours. Chilled pasta salad is always better. Plus, the veggies get sort of pickled from the dressing – so good!
I would like to point out that the tomatoes do get a little soggy after one day. My husband didn’t mind this, but I didn’t love it. If you plan to have leftovers, you could easily add the tomatoes in, just before eating, if this is a concern. Everything else in the salad is good to go!
Does Italian pasta salad make good leftovers?
Yes. The salad stays good for 3 days. See above for suggestions about the tomatoes.
In fact, I recommend that you chill this salad for at least 2 to 6 hours before serving.
This makes it a great salad to make ahead for parties.
Or, for meal prep. Trust me, it makes a great entrée salad for lunches, or dinners, especially on a hot day.
How far in advance can you make pasta salad?
I can’t speak for all pasta salads, but this particular Italian pasta salad can be made up to 6 hours, or 1 day in advance from serving it.
The perfect make-ahead salad to bring to parties.
Why cook the pasta al dente for a pasta salad?
Al dente = pasta with a bite to it. Cook it 2 to 3 minutes less than the cooking instructions say to for an al dente pasta.
As the pasta sits in the dressing it will soak it up, softening the pasta even further. If you don’t undercook the pasta a little it will get soggy from the dressing and likely fall apart. This is especially true when using gluten free pastas.
Cooking the pasta al dente ensures that it will soak up the dressing without getting too soggy.
Why rinse pasta when making pasta salad?
Rinsing the pasta does two things:
- It cools the pasta so that it’s no longer hot, which is ideal since we are making a cold salad.
- It prevents the pasta from sticking to each other, which is ideal since we aren’t eating the pasta right away.
Is this Italian pasta salad gluten free?
You can easily make it gluten free by using a gluten free pasta.
The remainder of the ingredients are gluten free. Although, you might want to check the ingredients on the salami you use, just in case.
We love a chickpea pasta, like Banza. So good. But, any kind of gluten free pasta you love will work.
Can I make this Italian pasta salad vegetarian?
Yes, of course.
Simply omit the salami from the salad.
Is Italian pasta salad served as a side dish, or an entrée?
Either.
We enjoyed the salad as an entrée pasta salad. However, you could easily serve it as a side dish alongside other main dishes.
If you omit the salami, it especially has side-dish-vibes. But, either way works great.
Reasons you will love this Italian pasta salad with salami:
- It’s veggie packed.
- It’s easy to make – 25 minutes, and done!
- No cooking required – aside from boiling the pasta.
- It’s refreshing – perfect for hot days.
- It’s customizable.
- It can be made in advance,
- making it perfect for parties,
- or meal prep.
- It’s easily made gluten free – just use gluten free pasta.
- It’s easily made vegetarian – just omit the salami.
- Serve it as a side dish,
- or, an entrée salad.
- It’s delicious,
- zesty,
- vibrant,
- crunchy,
- meaty,
- cheesy,
- and there is pasta!!!!
Need I say more?!
More pasta salad recipes
More make-ahead salad recipes for summer
- classic creamy coleslaw
- Kale Thai salad with peanut dressing
- Mexican salads in a jar with healthy ranch dressing
- Mexican street corn salad
- Sonoma chicken salad (Whole Foods copycat)
- Chicken caprese salad jars
- Marinated 3 bean salad
- Curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know how it went. Leave me a comment below, along with a star rating. This helps to support my blog, and I LOVE hearing from you.
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Easy Italian Pasta Salad with Salami
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 10 1x
- Category: entree, side, pasta, salad, easy, 30 minutes,
- Method: boiling, chopping
- Cuisine: gluten free, red meat, vegetarian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
An elevated Italian pasta salad with a zesty Italian vinaigrette, salami, fresh Mozzarella, and plenty of veggies. The perfect make-ahead salad to bring to summer parties, or for meal prep.
Ingredients
Italian Dressing
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or sub 2 teaspoons fresh oregano)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or sub 2 teaspoons fresh thyme)
- optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
Pasta Salad
- 8 ounces short cut pasta (see notes)
- 2 to 3 mini cucumbers, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 8 ounces grape (or cherry) tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 15 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts
- 4 ounce can sliced, black olives
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls (the mini mozzarella balls)
- 1 cup salami, cubed, or cut into quarters (see notes)
Optional garnishes
- Fresh herbs: basil, extra thyme, extra oregano, parsley
- extra parmesan cheese
- extra red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Boil some water: Fill a medium, to a large pot of water 3/4 of the way with water, cover with a lid, and place the pot of water on a burner. Turn the heat onto high. Allow the water to come to a boil.
- Make the Italian dressing: While the water comes to a boil, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Keep in mind that Italian dressing is usually on the tangier side, and not as sweet. Set the bowl aside.
- Cook the pasta: Once the water has reached a boil add about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Add your pasta, and follow the package directions to cook it until al dente (usually about 2 to 3 minutes less than the suggested cooking time), drain the pasta, and rinse with cool water, until it’s cooled.
- Toss the pasta in the dressing: Add the drained, and cooled pasta to the bowl with the dressing, toss to combine. I like to do this so that the dressing starts to flavor the pasta.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients: chop all the veggies, and add them to the bowl with the pasta. Also, add in the canned artichoke hearts, olives, mozzarella cheese, and salami. (See notes below on suggestions for making this salad in advance).
- Toss: Toss the salad together until everything is coated in the dressing, and the salad is well mixed together.
- Chill: You can eat the salad right away, but like any pasta salad, this one is best eaten when it has chilled for a few hours. I highly recommend chilling the salad if you’re planning to serve it to guests, or bring to a party – makes it the perfect salad for parties. Cover, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (up to 6 hours).
- Serve: Give the salad one more toss, and top it with extra parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley – if desired.
- Store leftovers: Leftovers will keep in an air tight container, in the fridge for up to 3 days. The tomatoes do tend to get a little soggy, so keep that in mind, if you don’t like soggy tomatoes. But, everything else gets nice and flavorful, and almost pickled from the dressing. So good.
Notes
Parmesan cheese – I highly recommend using a good quality Parmesan from the deli/cheese counter, not from the aisles. You can find a finely shaven variety in the deli section.
Gluten free pasta option – You can easily make this recipe gluten free by using any gluten free pasta you prefer. We love chickpea pasta.
salami – I recommend using the highest quality salami you can find, it really elevates this dish. I used a mix of sliced salami: caprese salami, Italian dry salami genoa salami, sopressata salami.
Vegetarian option – you can easily omit the salami to make this a vegetarian salad, or to serve it as a side salad, instead of an entrée salad.
To make in advance – This salad is great leftover. Everything gets more flavorful as it sits, and the veggies get almost pickled from the dressing. However, the tomatoes do get a little bit soggy. If that bothers you, then I suggest leaving out the tomatoes, and adding them fresh, right before serving. Or, adding a handful to the individual bowl you plan to eat.
Fresh herbs vs dried herbs – You can sub many of the dried herbs for fresh herbs in the dressing (oregano and thyme), except for the basil. The basil will get slimly as it sits. If you want to add fresh basil, you can easily add it to the dish as a garnish, just before serving, which I highly recommend.
Serving size – Serving size will vary depending on if you are serving this salad as a side salad, or an entrée salad. We ate it as a entrée salad, and it gave us about 6 servings. You will get more servings out of it if it’s a side salad that is served alongside other dishes.
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