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If the weather is warm, there’s a good chance that you’ll find pasta salad on my table. I cannot get enough of this Creamy Italian Pasta Salad!
I love making a pasta salad over the weekend and having it on hand throughout the week for an easy lunch or snack whenever hunger strikes. It’s also the perfect side dish for summer cookouts, backyard barbecues, or lazy beach days! Whether you are hosting the get-together or you need to bring a side dish to a friend’s house, pasta salad is always the answer.
In this recipe, I’ve pulled together all of my favorite Italian ingredients for a dish that is packed with flavor and texture in every single bite.
ingredients:
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Dijon Mustard
- Garlic Cloves
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Italian Seasoning
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- White Wine Vinegar
- Rotini or Fusilli Pasta
- Red Bell Pepper
- Shallot
- Black Olives
- Hard, Uncured Salami
- Fresh Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh Parsley
- Fresh Basil
step-by-step:
Step One: Make the Creamy Italian Dressing
In a blender or using an immersion blender in a wide-mouth jar, combine the homemade mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and vinegar. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Step Two: Assemble the Salad
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, bell peppers, shallots, olives, salami, mozzarella, parsley, and basil. Pour the Creamy Italian Dressing over the pasta and toss until the pasta is very well coated and combined. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until just chilled.
You can make both the Creamy Italian Dressing and the entire pasta salad in advance. If you want to make the dressing ahead, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
The pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. However, the pasta does tend to soak up the dressing once stored in the fridge. If prepping ahead of time, I would suggest making the dressing but not tossing it with the pasta and other ingredients until the day of the event. You can also make some additional dressing to toss with the salad ahead of serving if it seems dry.
In a pinch, you can use store-bought mayo or Greek yogurt. You may want to only use 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar in the dressing to start so it’s not too tangy, but you can adjust to taste.
I cannot wait to see this Creamy Italian Pasta Salad on your tables this summer! It will be the perfect addition to your warm-weather get-together. Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more pasta salad recipes? try these!
Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Creamy Italian Dressing:
- 1 cup homemade mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1½ lemons)
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
For the Pasta Salad:
- 12 ounces rotini or fusilli pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 1 cup diced small red bell pepper (from about 1 small pepper)
- 1/2 cup finely diced shallot (from about 1 large shallot)
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup diced hard uncured salami
- 1 cup diced mozzarella
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Make the Creamy Italian Dressing:
- In a blender or using an immersion blender in a wide-mouth jar, combine the homemade mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and vinegar. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Assemble the Pasta Salad:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, bell peppers, shallots, olives, salami, mozzarella, parsley, and basil. Pour the Creamy Italian Dressing over the pasta and toss until the pasta is very well coated and combined. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until just chilled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wonderful pasta salad! The entire family enjoyed it and had no leftovers. Made the dressing and chopped some of the ingredients the day prior. Easy to make with common ingredients as well. Thanks!
I loved this recipe! Made it for a dinner party and it was a hit, and loved that there was enough for a couple lunches after. I’m wondering if you’d think subbing the mayo for plain greek yogurt would do well to add some protein for meal prep would be okay?
Yes, definitely!
I don’t normally leave reviews but I had to. This pasta salad is INCREDIBLE! It is super vibrant and all the flavors go so well together. I made half the recipe last night to have as a quick lunch throughout the week. I opted to keep the salad separated from the dressing and just add a few tablespoons to each portion so the dressing wouldn’t disappear. Usually pasta salads need time to soak up the dressing to have any flavor but this one doesn’t! I regret making only half a batch – need to make some more!
This is so nice to hear! Thanks Jennifer!