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Easy Italian Pasta Salad is an easy side dish for any potluck. This simple pasta salad recipe has fresh vegetables, olives, pepperoni and salami and a Italian dressing that makes it the perfect summer salad. I’ve been making this recipe for years and everyone always loves it!

pasta and salami and other mix ins together in a wooden bowl.


BEST Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

There are so many Italian Pasta Salad recipes online, with different ingredients to suit different tastes – and that’s why pasta salads are so good – but this is the BEST one!

This is one of those simple recipes that I’ve been making for over 20 years and have never thought to post about it until now. This is the first pasta salad recipe I ever made and I’ve been making it for every potluck or summer party since before I was married.

I absolutely love pasta salads in summer. I love that they are better when you make them ahead of time; this is perfect for a potluck or for an easy dinner recipe. The temperature in Sacramento in the summer often reaches above 90° or 100° and cooking can be unbearable. I can make pasta salads in the morning before it’s too hot and then we can eat it for dinner and lunch for a few days.

pasta and salami and other mix ins together in a wooden bowl.

Ingredients Needed

When it comes to ingredients in this salad, you can mix and match your favorites:

  • Pasta: use your favorite shape, but I love rotini for this because the ridges hold onto the dressing
  • Bell peppers – use green or red or a mix of colors
  • Olives – I love using black olives but you can also add green if you like
  • Pepperoni and salami – or use one or the other – or even add shredded chicken. I always make my Italian Pasta Salad with pepperoni AND salami because I love both!
  • Mozzarella cheese – use fresh or cubed mozzarella and you can even add shredded parmesan
  • Tomatoes
  • I didn’t add things like artichokes or pepperoncini but you can if you like!

How to make Italian Pasta Salad

  1. Make Pasta: Start by making your pasta. Cook it according to package directions for al dente. You don’t want it over cooked to start because the dressing on the salad will soften it more. Cool the pasta before making the salad. You can shock it with cold water while you drain it to help stop the cooking process.
  2. Chop Vegetables and Meat: Slice everything while the pasta is cooking.
  3. Assemble: Toss the pasta with the chopped vegetables and meat, add the cheese and dressing. Let it sit for an hour or so before serving. This gets better with age!
pasta and salami and other mix ins together in a wooden bowl.

What is the best dressing for an Italian Pasta Salad?

Always use what you like! For my recipe I used a bottle of Italian Dressing from the grocery store. Many of the brands have different flavors of Italian Dressing, like spicy or tuscan. You could also use balsamic or any kind of vinaigrette you want.

Want to make your own homemade dressing? Check out my balsamic dressing recipe!

Substitutions

  • Omit the salami and/or pepperoni and add rotisserie chicken or deli turkey or ham.
  • Add other color bell peppers
  • Use a different pasta shape
  • Add pepperoncinis
  • Use green olives instead of black

FAQs

What type of pasta is best for pasta salad?

Your favorite kind is the best! I love using a pasta with some sort of edges or ridges (like rotini) to catch the dressing and hold onto it.

How long does Italian Pasta Salad last?

Once you add the dressing the salad is good about 48 hours. I actually like dressing the salad and letting it sit for at least 12 hours before serving. You can assemble the salad up to 2 days ahead and add the dressing before serving.

pasta and salami and other mix ins together in a wooden bowl.

Italian Pasta Salad

5 from 12 votes
My Easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe is always a huge hit at a summer BBQ! It's a simple side salad made with all your favorite pasta salad ingredients.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

  • 12 ounces rotini pasta
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 1 8-ounce can sliced black olives drained
  • 20 slices salami quartered
  • 20 slices pepperoni halved
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese diced
  • 1 container Italian Dressing see note
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Instructions

  • Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Cool completely. (I like to rinse the cooked pasta with cold water to cool it down faster.)
  • Mix pasta with peppers, olives, salami, pepperoni, tomatoes and cheese.
  • Add dressing – as desired – and toss salad. Chill until ready to serve. Can be made up to 8 hours before serving.

Recipe Notes

I used about 1 cup of dressing, but you can use more if you prefer more. Just buy a full bottle of Italian Dressing – your choice of brand, flavor – and use as much as you want.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 627mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 31.3mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 12 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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16 Comments

  1. I make this too without the meat and cheese. We add onions, cucumbers, celery and carrots. I used to love in Morris, Illinois.

    Reply

  3. Have you tried adding Suddenly Salad spice to this it is great about 1 teaspoon or more if you prefer a spicey bite.
    I also use spagetti to make this my kids really like the cold spagetti thing. Lol

    Reply