This zesty Italian Pasta Salad features cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, Parmesan, red onions, roasted peppers, salami, and chicken, all tossed in a homemade (or store-bought) Italian dressing.
Italian Pasta Salad
This Italian pasta salad is the perfect summer lunch or dinner! It’s hearty with ample protein, yet remains fresh and vibrant. While mayo-based dressings have their place in summer pasta salads, like Broccoli-Grape Pasta Salad, or this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, it’s refreshing to opt for something lighter.
This salad’s dressing includes a small amount (just 2 tablespoons!) of mayo for a creamy texture, but primarily features an oil and vinegar base, enriched with plenty of dried Italian herbs.
Ingredients In Italian Pasta Salad
- Pasta: Serves as the base of this Italian Pasta Salad, providing texture and bulk.
- Rotisserie chicken and salami: Add protein and savory flavors.
- Cherry tomatoes, black olives, roasted red bell pepper, cucumber, and red onion: These vegetables offer a variety of textures and fresh, tangy tastes.
- Parsley and Parmesan cheese: Enhance the salad with fresh, herby notes and a salty, flavorful kick from the cheese.
- Dressing ingredients (red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, Italian seasoning, sugar, olive oil, mayo): Create a creamy and flavorful dressing that balances acidity, sweetness, and herbs for a well-rounded taste.
How To Make Italian Pasta Salad
- Cook Pasta: Salt, boil, and rinse pasta, then mix with some dressing.
- Chop Ingredients: Cut chicken, salami, tomatoes, parsley, olives, pepper, cucumber, and onion.
- Prepare Dressing: Shake vinegar, mustard, herbs, sugar, oil, mayo, salt, and pepper in a jar.
- Assemble Salad: Toss pasta with chopped items, Parmesan, parsley, and dressing.
- Chill: Refrigerate the Italian Pasta Salad for 30 minutes, toss again, and serve.
Quick Tip
When the pasta chills, it can clump into one big gob that’s hard to separate. Prevent this by tossing the cooked and drained pasta with a tablespoon of the dressing. The oil will coat the pasta and keep it from sticking together.
Tips For Success
- Choose Textured Pasta: Select small pasta like rotini, miniature shells, farfalle, or fusilli to better hold the dressing.
- Mellow Red Onion: Soak diced onions in salted ice water for 10 minutes if raw onion flavor is too strong. Drain well before adding.
- Cook Pasta Al Dente: Avoid overcooking; pasta should be al dente as it firms up when chilled.
- Use Roasted Red Pepper: Opt for roasted red peppers over raw for a smoky flavor. Store-bought jars work well in this Italian Pasta Salad.
- Prepare Dressing Ahead: Make the dressing in advance and chill for intensified flavors. Let it sit at room temperature briefly and shake well before using.
Storage
Italian Pasta Storage
To store this Italian pasta salad, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days. For best flavor, give it a quick stir before serving. Avoid freezing as it can alter the texture of the ingredients.
More Salad Recipes
- Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Corn Salad
- Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
This Italian Pasta Salad is loaded with all the best ingredients. It’s brimming with juicy sweet cherry tomatoes. Crunchy crisp cucumbers. Savory black olives. Zesty Parmesan cheese. Sharp red onions. Fire-roasted red peppers. Spicy and savory salami. And tender rotisserie chicken. Everything combines to create a flavor explosion! The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing. Of course, you can pick up bottled dressing at the grocery store if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked pasta (such as small shells or rotini)
- 1 cup (4 oz) rotisserie chicken, shredded and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (3 oz) salami, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely diced
- 1/2 cup black olives, halved
- 1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper, coarsely chopped (See Note 1)
- 1 cup English cucumber (or Persian cucumbers) cut into half moons
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (See Note 2)
Dressing
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons full-fat mayonnaise (I like Best Foods/Hellmans)
Instructions
- DRESSING: Add all the dressing ingredients to a large jar with a lid: 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons mayo, and salt & pepper to taste (I use 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and shake to combine. It might take a minute of good vigorous shaking, but the mayo should completely integrate (keep shaking until it does). If you have time, make this ahead and chill it in the fridge to intensify the flavors. Shake again right before mixing into the salad.
- PASTA: Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Make sure to generously salt the water (I add 1 teaspoon to every 4 cups of water). Don't forget to salt the pasta water or the whole salad will taste underseasoned. Drain, rinse under cold water, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the prepared Italian dressing. Set aside.
- SALAD INGREDIENTS: Chop the rotisserie chicken, chop or thinly slice the salami, halve the tomatoes, finely chop the parsley, halve the olives, chop the pepper, chop the cucumber, and dice the red onion.
- DRESS THE SALAD: Toss all the prepared veggies/meats with the pasta. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Add dressing to preference. (We use it all, but you may like less!) Toss the salad. Season with any additional salt and pepper if needed.
- ENJOY: Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Toss again and enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Peppers: You can buy jars of roasted red peppers at the store; they are usually near things like pickles, capers, and artichoke hearts.
Note 2: Parmesan: Packaged grated Parmesan (in the can) is very salty and overpowering. We recommend grating a block of Parmesan cheese on a microplane or the small holes of the grater for ultra-fine cheese shreds.
Nutrition
Serving: 8as a side | Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1071mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1014IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This salad came out wonderful. Will add it to my collection. Thanks for sharing.
Glad it was enjoyed:)
I really really loved this salad! I made it exactly as your recipe is written. When I tasted it, there just seemed to be a little something missing. I added about a 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano and that was it! It seemed to give it just the little extra something it needed. I will make this salad time and time again! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re so welcome! Glad you loved this salad 🙂
We can always eat a good pasta salad around here they’re good warm the first time around and even more flavorful eaten cold the next! I like the Italian twist on this one and it will be a great use for my basil. I have a ton of basil on hand right now too!
They definitely do! Thank you Valentine, I hope you love this salad!
ahh nutrition labels are SO clutch, that’s major Chelsea!!! and this pasta salad looks amazing, so delicious and easy xo
Your tomato cutting hack is genius! I love it!