This fresh, easy pasta salad recipe comes together in under 30 minutes! Tossed in a tangy vinaigrette and filled with veggies, it's a cookout hit.
Today’s recipe is a picnic-perfect pasta salad! Every cookout needs a great pasta salad, and this is the one that I make all summer long. It comes together in no time, it’s full of fresh ingredients, and it packs a flavorful punch.
I took extra care to make sure that this recipe is not just easy, but also easy to make in advance… because I totally get that you don’t want to be futzing with your pasta salad when you could be spending time outside with your friends.
Note: If you do decide to make this salad in advance, toss on some whole basil leaves before serving to make it instantly prettier.
Pasta Salad Ingredients
This classic pasta salad recipe is easy and fresh. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Fusilli pasta – Or your pasta of choice! Short pasta shapes are best here. I like rotini, penne, and farfalle in addition to fusilli.
- Cherry tomatoes – I love their sweet flavor and juicy texture in this salad.
- Cucumbers – For crunch! I like to use Persian cucumbers or English cucumber here. Both have very thin skins, so there’s no need to peel them.
- Chickpeas – They add plant-based protein.
- Arugula – It adds peppery flavor and extra green.
- Feta cheese – For salty, tangy flavor.
- Pine nuts – Like the cucumbers, they add satisfying crunch.
- And fresh herbs – Parsley, basil, AND mint pack this salad with fresh flavor!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Pasta Salad Dressing
A simple pasta salad dressing takes this recipe over the top. It’s a zesty mix of olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. I finish it with a pinch of herbes de Provence. Italian seasoning works nicely too!
I love this quick homemade dressing, but it’s not your only option here. Try tossing this salad with Italian dressing or a red wine vinegar Greek salad dressing instead!
How to Make Pasta Salad
Making this recipe is a breeze! Just follow these simple steps:
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain it, toss it with some olive oil, and set it aside to cool.
- Chop your cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, mince the parsley, and crumble the feta.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- And toss everything together in a big bowl! Season to taste and dig in.
My Best Pasta Salad Tips
- Cook your pasta a little longer than normal. It should be a tad past al dente (but not mushy) so that the pasta stays soft when it cools. I find that the higher time range listed on the package instructions is usually just about right for cold pasta salad.
- Let your pasta cool completely before tossing it with the other ingredients. If it’s still warm, the hot pasta will start to cook and wilt the vegetables. No one’s a fan of warm cucumber, so make sure you’re tossing cold pasta into this dish.
- Taste and adjust. Like most salad recipes, this one is super flexible, so be sure to taste and adjust it to your liking before serving. Add more lemon if you prefer a tangier salad, toss in more greens if you’re all about the veggies, and always, always salt to taste.
Recipe Variations
This pasta salad is fantastic as-is, but feel free to change it up to match your tastes or the ingredients in your pantry. Here are a few suggestions:
- Make it vegan. Use olives or sun dried tomatoes in place of the feta.
- Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free pasta or quinoa in place of traditional noodles.
- Go Greek. To make this recipe more of a Greek pasta salad, add 1/2 cup each of kalamata or black olives, diced bell pepper, and thinly sliced red onion.
- Try a Caprese combo. Use halved mini mozzarella balls in place of the feta.
- Try another herb. Fresh oregano would be lovely in place of the mint in this salad, and thyme would also be a great addition.
- Swap out the arugula for spinach, or leave it out altogether if you prefer a higher pasta: veggie ratio.
- Or roast your chickpeas for extra crunch.
How to Store and Make Ahead
This pasta salad recipe is a great side dish to make ahead for picnics, potlucks, and cookouts. I recommend making it up to a day ahead of a gathering. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you make this salad ahead, wait to add half the herbs and pine nuts until right before serving. The herbs will retain their vibrant color and the pine nuts will keep their crunch. Toss them into the salad and season to taste with more salt and lemon juice before digging in.
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this pasta salad recipe, try one of these delicious summer salads next:
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Watermelon Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Best Potato Salad
- Greek Salad
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Easy Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
- 2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers, sliced into thin half moons
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup basil leaves, torn
- ½ cup minced parsley
- ½ cup chopped mint
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, or dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, and salt. (Note: the dressing will have a strong flavor, it’ll mellow once it coats all of the pasta salad ingredients).
- Drain the pasta, toss it with a little olive oil (so that it doesn’t stick together) and let it cool to room temp. Transfer to a large bowl with the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, basil, parsley, mint, and pine nuts. Pour the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with more lemon, salt, pepper, and/or a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve.
This is an excellent recipe. I used farfelle noodles, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, kalamata olives, feta, and roasted pine nuts. After I drained the noodles, I tossed them with a quarter of the vinaigrette before incorporating the noodles into the vegetables.
I didn’t opt to add arugula, but if I did, and were anticipating leftovers, I would take out the necessary amount of pasta salad before tossing it with the arugula (if you toss with your greens and refresh garage overnight, your greens will go wilty). I’d betcha that baby spinach or spring greens would also work well.
We had some leftover steak, so my husband topped his salad with extra protein. It certainly doesn’t need it, but you could certainly add if you desire.
This would make wonderful side accompaniment to grilled fish.
Oh, and it tastes better the next day after the ingredients have soaked up the vinaigrette.
The roasted pine nuts add another depth of flavor – don’t skip them!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can I make this a day ahead and refrigerate? If so what would your suggestions be? Add Feta and Arugula just prior? Or don’t make ahead? Thanks for your help
Hi Paula, the arugula gets wilty, so you could add that before you’re ready to serve if you’d like.
This has got to be one of the best salads I have ever made and I have made a lot! I added 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes and 1/2 kalamata olives instead of the feta cheese to make it vegan. I did not think there would be enough dressing but it was perfect! A squeeze of lemon when it is all said and done is a must. Quite a bit of work but we’ll worth it
Hi Marg, I’m so glad you loved the pasta salad! Thanks for sharing your variation.
How big is a serving size? I’m going to make this for 10 people as a side. Trying to figure out if its six small side servings or more of a main course lunch size portion that this recipe is set for. Thanks.
Hi Julie, 6 servings is meant as a small-medium side dish portion.