This EASY Italian Pasta Salad is loaded with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, spicy salami, pepperoncini, red onion, and olives, all tossed with a zesty homemade Italian dressing!

This Italian pasta salad recipe is hands down one of our absolute favorite pasta salads. So many flavorful ingredients like spicy salami, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pepperoncini, and warm pasta, all coated in the most delicious homemade Italian dressing! This easy Italian pasta salad is perfect for picnics or cookouts and makes a great side dish when grilling chicken, fish, or steak. The best part is that this pasta salad can be enjoyed warm or cold, with SO much flavor in every bite!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• Light, healthy, and SO flavorful!
• Easy to make and comes together in just 15 minutes.
• The Italian dressing also tastes great on top of salads or as a marinade for chicken, shrimp, or steak.
• The perfect addition to summer parties, cookouts, or a simple side dish at home!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Pasta – I used rotini noodles, but feel free to use any curly/corkscrew pasta like cavatappi or fusilli. The nooks in the pasta really hold the dressing well! You could also use farfalle or penne.
• Veggies – For this pasta salad, I used sliced cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), crisp cucumbers, and red onion, but you can also add other veggies like chopped bell peppers, broccoli, or asparagus.
• Mozzarella Cheese – I used mozzarella cheese pearls (also known as Bocconcini), but you can also use large balls or slices of mozzarella and cut them into pieces.
• Salami – Spicy salami really adds flavor to this pasta salad, but feel free to use whatever salami or sausage you prefer.
• Pepperoncini – This is optional but adds a kick of flavor and spice to the salad! You can also add red pepper flakes for more spice.
• Olives – I used sliced kalamata olives, but you can use black or even green olives if you prefer.
• Fresh Herbs – A mix of chopped fresh parsley and basil.
• Dressing – This easy homemade Italian dressing is what makes this pasta salad so delicious! Made with a combination of olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, garlic, and spices, it adds so much flavor to every bite.

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad:

1. Chop veggies and herbs. This may be the most time-consuming part, but hey, put on a podcast or blast some music – it’s worth all the chopping! Slice the tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, roughly chop the salami, kalamata olives, and fresh herbs.
2. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Make the dressing. While the pasta is cooking, whip up the Italian dressing! Simply whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a jar or bowl and set aside until ready to use.
4. Toss the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped veggies, salami, mozzarella balls, pepperoncini, olives, and fresh herbs. Drizzle everything with the Italian dressing, giving it a good toss, and season with extra salt and pepper, as needed.
5. Marinate. You can either serve this immediately or marinate for a few hours before serving. To marinate, cover the pasta salad and place it in the fridge to let the flavors meld for a few hours or even overnight. I also like to reserve a bit of extra dressing to toss right before serving, as the pasta tends to soak up a lot of it.

Prepping and Storage:

• To Store: The great thing about this pasta salad is that it tastes great warm OR cold and will last up to 3 to 4 daysin the fridge. Just make sure to store any leftovers in a sealed, airtight container.
• To Prep: The Italian dressing can be made up to a week ahead of time and stored in the fridge before making the pasta salad. Just be sure to let the dressing sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before tossing it with the pasta salad, and give it a good shake to mix everything together.

Nutrition Info (Per Serving):

• Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
• Calories: 452 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 47.3g
• Protein: 17.1g
• Fat: 23.3g
• Saturated Fat: 6.6g
• Sodium: 467.4mg
• Fiber: 6.2g
• Sugar: 3.7g

Nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy this Easy Italian Pasta Salad, and if you love it as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #nugalaeats! I love seeing all of your delicious recreations!