Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipe
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There is no better dish to enjoy on warmer days other than COLD PASTA SALAD. This easy pasta salad needs handful ingredients like red onions, cherry tomatoes, black olives, chickpeas, bell peppers, spinach, feta cheese & home made Lemon Mustard Salad Dressing.
Although the above mentioned ingredients are what I used, this PASTA SALAD is super versatile. And the best part is that this summer salad needs no cooking and is done under 30 minutes! YAY!
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Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipe
There are thousands of yummy ways that you can change up this PASTA SALAD and personalize to whatever is there in your refrigerator.
Top 5 Reasons I like this Pasta Recipe
- This Salad comes together in under 30 minutes. Now that is super good, right?
- Pasta Salad is perfefct as a meal for NO COOK DAYS! Although you have to cook pasta but you know what I mean.
- Since it is so simple to make, you can make it ahead of time.
- This dish is perfect to take for picnics, potlucks, and grill outs.
- It is great to pack for work lunches and kids’ lunch boxes.
- Perfect as a refreshing vegetarian side to any meal.
Vegetarian Salad Recipes
Check out our other Vegetarian Salad Recipes here – Spinach Strawberry Salad, Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad, Cold Asian Noodle Salad Recipe, Chickpeas Greek Salad, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Asian Quinoa Salad, Olive Garden Salad and more.
What are the basic ingredients of Pasta Salad?
Although any Pasta Salad Recipe needs only few Basic Ingredients but you can upgrade the recipe to your liking. Find out how?
Pasta – It is very important to choose right kind of pasta. I always use either ROTINI or FUSILLI pasta for my salads. Because of their texture they absorb and holds the dressings much better. Although these are my first choices, but you can use farfalle, penne or orecchiette. But I would advise to stear away from any noodle kind of pasta.
Vegetables – My favorite vegetables to use are red onions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, & spinach. You will never fail a salad with these vegetables. Cucumbers and Arugula also make a great addition.
Protein – Since it is a vegetarian salad, I use different kinds of beans. Chickpeas and Navy Beans are my 2 favorites. This recipe uses chickpeas. You can use any beans of your choice.
Cheese – I absolutely love using FETA CHEESE in my salads. It has nice saltiness and great creamy crumbly texture. This cheese is a great addition to any salad. But if you do not like this cheese, then goat cheese, parmesan, fresh mozzarella are some great cheeses to choose from.
Salad Dressing – Pasta Salad needs good dressing. I love using HOME MADE LEMON MUSTARD SALAD DRESSSING in pasta salads. It adds perfect summer flavors.
Here are the ingredients of home-made lemon mustard dressing – Dijon mustard, Lemon juice, Apple cider vinegar, Honey, Garlic, Dry Parsley, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & Black Pepper.
Even Italian Salad Dressing or Greek Salad Dressing will work very well with this salad.
Salad Helpers – I love using canned Black Olives, Artichokes and Banana Peppers in my salads. Also fresh herbs like parsley, basil, oregano add tons of flavors. You can use the dry herbs too.
Recipe Kitchen Gadgets
High Speed Blender like Magic Bullet to make home made salad dressing.
How to make COLD PASTA SALAD at home?
Boil the Pasta
Now you may choose to boil your pasta on gas top or in instant pot.
Instant Pot Cooking – I used TRI COLOR ROTINI PASTA for my salad and the packet instructions asked to cook it for 7-9 minutes. Therefore I added 1/2 pound of pasta to the instant pot with 3 cups of water (enough to cover the top of the pasta). And then cooked on Pressure Cook Mode for 3 minutes and then proceeded with QPR (quick pressure release). Further drain the pasta immediately in a Kitchen Colander. And then run it under the cold tap water to stop further cooking.
Gas Top Cooking – If you are boiling the pasta on gas top, then prepare it as per the instructions given at the back of the pasta packet. Make sure to cook it al-dente which means with a bite. Once cooked, drain and wash pasta in Kitchen Colander under cold tap water to stop it from further cooking.
Once the pasta is cooked and at room temperature, it is ready to be used. Since I normally cook pasta on a sunday as a part of meal prep for the week, it is always ready to be used in salads. You can cook pasta ahead of time and refrigerate to be used as needed.
Prepare the Ingredients
Vegetables – Wash and dry the vegetables you are using. Thinly slice the red onions. Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Cut the bell peppers into bite size pieces about 1/2 inches in size. Rouhgly chop the spinach. Set these aside.
Black Olives – Open the can of olives and drain. Slice the black olives into thick slices. Set aside
Prep the Chickpeas – Drain the beans and wash under the cold water. If you want to boil the beans at home, then soak the beans overnight. Then cook them either on gas top or instant pot. It takes 20 minutes in IP to prepare these for salads.
Prepare Salad Dressing
For home made salad dressing, add Dijon mustard, Lemon juice, Apple cider vinegar, Honey, Garlic, Dry Parsley, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & Black Pepper to Magic Bullet and blend everything together till smooth. Your rich home made salad dressing is ready.
Put the Salad Together
Take a large Mixing Bowl and add cold ROTINI PASTA to it. Pour 1/3 cup Lemon Mustard Salad Dressing on it. Mix well.
Add Chopped Vegetables, sliced Black Olives, Chickpeas to the Pasta and then crumbled Feta Cheese. Use Salad Tongs and mix all the ingredients well. Let it sit for half an hour in the refrigerator for best flavors.
Pro Tips for Pasta Cold Salad
- Choose your PASTA wisely. Rotini or Fussili works the best in pasta salads.
- Shock the Pasta in cold water after boiling. This will keep the texture of the pasta intact. Also, it will help absorb the dressing properly. Pasta will become gummy if dressing is added to the war pasta.
- Make sure to cut the vegetables in similar size. But slice the onions for good texture mix.
- First add the dressing to the pasta and mix and then add other ingredients for the best results.
- Mix and Chill the pasta before serving. Pasta salad get better as it rests, so for the best pasta salad, all you have to do is mix and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes. It’s why pasta salad is even better the next day.
Storage and Serving
Refrigerate the leftover pasta salad in an air tight container.
After taking it out of the refrigerator, let it sit for 10 minutes. Toss again and add more dressing if needed.
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How to make Cold Pasta Salad at home?
Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Pot or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 8 oz/ 1/2 pound ROTINI or FUSILLI check notes
- 1/2 cup Lemon Mustard Dressing Check notes for home made dressing
- 1 cup Chickpeas canned or home cooked
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes quartered
- 1/2 cup or 1 small Red Onion thinly sliced
- 10 Black Olives Sliced
- 1 cup Bell Peppers chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup Spinach roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup Feta Cheese crumbled
- 1 tsp dry or 1 tbsp fresh chopped Parsley
Instructions
ALWAYS READ THE FULL RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. THEN GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS. PREP AND GET GOING. DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK THE NOTES FOR ADDITIONAL INFO & TIPS. CHECK THE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO.
Boil the Pasta
- Instant Pot Cooking – I used TRI COLOR ROTINI PASTA for my salad and the packet instructions asked to cook it for 7-9 minutes. Therefore I added 1/2 pound of pasta to the instant pot with 3 cups of water (enough to cover the top of the pasta). And then cooked on Pressure Cook Mode for 3 minutes and then proceeded with QPR (quick pressure release). Further drain the pasta immediately in a Kitchen Colander. And then run it under the cold tap water to stop further cooking.
- Gas Top Cooking – If you are boiling the pasta on gas top, then prepare it as per the instructions given at the back of the pasta packet. Make sure to cook it al-dente which means with a bite. Once cooked, drain and wash pasta in Kitchen Colander under cold tap water to stop it from further cooking.
- Once the pasta is cooked and at room temperature, it is ready to be used. Since I normally cook pasta on a sunday as a part of meal prep for the week, it is always ready to be used in salads. You can cook pasta ahead of time and refrigerate to be used as needed.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Vegetables – Wash and dry the vegetables you are using. Thinly slice the red onions. Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Cut the bell peppers into bite size pieces about 1/2 inches in size. Rouhgly chop the spinach. Set these aside.
- Black Olives – Open the can of olives and drain. Slice the black olives into thick slices. Set aside
- Prep the Chickpeas – Drain the beans and wash under the cold water. If you want to boil the beans at home, then soak the beans overnight. Then cook them either on gas top or instant pot. It takes 20 minutes in IP to prepare these for salads.
Prepare Salad Dressing
- In case you are making salad dressing at home, then add Dijon mustard, Lemon juice, Apple cider vinegar, Honey, Garlic, Dry Parsley, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & Black Pepper to Magic Bullet and blend everything together till smooth. Your rich home made salad dressing is ready. (quantities for ingredients are mentioned in the notes section).
Put the Salad Together
- Take a large Mixing Bowl and add cold ROTINI PASTA to it. Pour 1/3 cup Lemon Mustard Salad Dressing on it. Mix well.
- Add Chopped Vegetables, sliced Black Olives, Chickpeas to the Pasta and then crumbled Feta Cheese. Use Salad Tongs and mix all the ingredients well. Let it sit for half an hour in the refrigerator for best flavors.
- Serve it chilled. Toss before serving.
Notes
How to make Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette at home?
Ingredients (yields 1 cup dressing)
1&1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1/4 cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar (or use regular vinegar) 2 tsp Honey 2 small Garlic cloves (finely minced/grated) 1 tsp Parsley, dry 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tsp Himalayan or Kosher Salt 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder Method Take a small blender jar and all the ingredients to it. Then blend it till it is all smooth. Now that is one way of making it at home. And I love it since it gives a smooth vinaigrette. But if you want, then you can also put all the ingredients in a mason jar. Close the lid and give it a good shake till all the ingredients are mixed well.Pro Tips for Pasta Cold Salad
- Choose your PASTA wisely. Rotini or Fussili works the best in pasta salads.
- Shock the Pasta in cold water after boiling. This will keep the texture of the pasta intact. Also, it will help absorb the dressing properly. Pasta will become gummy if dressing is added to the war pasta.
- Make sure to cut the vegetables in similar size. But slice the onions for good texture mix.
- First add the dressing to the pasta and mix and then add other ingredients for the best results.
- Mix and Chill the pasta before serving. Pasta salad get better as it rests, so for the best pasta salad, all you have to do is mix and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes. It’s why pasta salad is even better the next day.
Storage and Serving
Refrigerate the leftover pasta salad in an air tight container. After taking it out of the refrigerator, let it sit for 10 minutes. Toss again and add more dressing if needed.Top 5 Reasons I like this Pasta Recipe
- This Salad comes together in under 30 minutes. Now that is super good, right?
- Pasta Salad is perfefct as a meal for NO COOK DAYS! Although you have to cook pasta but you know what I mean.
- Since it is so simple to make, you can make it ahead of time.
- This dish is perfect to take for picnics, potlucks, and grill outs.
- It is great to pack for work lunches and kids’ lunch boxes.
- Perfect as a refreshing vegetarian side to any meal.
Vegetarian Salad Recipes
Check out our other Vegetarian Salad Recipes here – Spinach Strawberry Salad, Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad, Cold Asian Noodle Salad Recipe, Chickpeas Greek Salad, and more.What are the basic ingredients of Pasta Salad?
Although any Pasta Salad Recipe needs only few Basic Ingredients but you can upgrade the recipe to your liking. Find out how? Pasta – It is very important to choose right kind of pasta. I always use either ROTINI or FUSILLI pasta for my salads. Because of their texture they absorb and holds the dressings much better. Although these are my first choices, but you can use farfalle, penne or orecchiette. But I would advise to stear away from any noodle kind of pasta. Vegetables – My favorite vegetables to use are red onions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, & spinach. You will never fail a salad with these vegetables. Cucumbers and Arugula also make a great addition. Protein – Since it is a vegetarian salad, I use different kinds of beans. Chickpeas and Navy Beans are my 2 favorites. This recipe uses chickpeas. You can use any beans of your choice. Cheese – I absolutely love using FETA CHEESE in my salads. It has nice saltiness and great creamy crumbly texture. This cheese is a great addition to any salad. But if you do not like this cheese, then goat cheese, parmesan, fresh mozzarella are some great cheeses to choose from. Salad Dressing – Pasta Salad needs good dressing. I love using HOME MADE LEMON MUSTARD SALAD DRESSSING in pasta salads. It adds perfect summer flavors. Here are the ingredients of home-made lemon mustard dressing – Dijon mustard, Lemon juice, Apple cider vinegar, Honey, Garlic, Dry Parsley, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & Black Pepper. Even Italian Salad Dressing or Greek Salad Dressing will work very well with this salad. Salad Helpers – I love using canned Black Olives, Artichokes and Banana Peppers in my salads. Also fresh herbs like parsley, basil, oregano add tons of flavors. You can use the dry herbs too.Recipe Kitchen Gadgets
Kitchen Colander Chopping board and Knife Measuring Cups & Spoon Mixing Bowls Salad Tongs High Speed Blender like Magic Bullet to make home made salad dressing.Nutrition
I am sure you are going to try this recipe soon. Please rate the recipe and leave your feedback in comments.
Sonal
Classic. I could identify all the ingredients visually in this colourful recipe. Like pesto, it’s so easy to swap out different ingredients. I appreciate the pro tips for making a versatile dish. So glad pasta salad season is almost here!!