This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Which store bought dressing would work in a pinch?
Truthfully, I do not have one I would recommend at this time! Does anyone else have one they like?
I made this using Duke’s mayonnaise as I was triple batching the recipe for a party and did not want to take the chance of using homemade mayonnaise. I felt it had too much of a vinegar taste. Are there any modifications to the dressing if using store bought mayonnaise? I do love your mayonnaise recipe by the way. Thanks!
I haven’t tested it with store-bought mayo, but I’d recommend reducing the amount of white wine vinegar in the dressing by 1-2 tablespoons, depending on your preference!
I made this for our family reunion today and it was fantastic! I used pepperoni this time because I had it on hand but I can’t wait to try it with salami next time. This will be my go-to pasta salad!
Aw I love that!
This is my all time favorite pasta salad to take to a BBQ gathering. This creamy dressing sets it far above its peers and is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser!!
Thank you!
Can I use store bought avocado oil based mayo instead of homemade?
I haven’t tested it with store-bought mayo, but it should work. Let me know how it comes out!
Made this tonight but added some marinated artichokes and oh my gooooooodness, it was good!
Is there a good premade dressing that works well?
I haven’t personally found a storebought version that tastes great- working on making one for Sidedish in the future!
Cindy, this dressing really makes the salad incredible! It’s a must try for sure!
Thanks for commenting, Natalie!
If I were to omit the black olives, would you put something else in its place?
no i would just omit them altogether if you don’t love them!
I made this dressing and the vinegar is pretty strong in my opinion, however I just added a tablespoon of sugar and it balanced it perfectly.
Hi
Where is the recipe for the homemade mayo? The recipe calls for one cup of homemade mayo.
Just updated that, but here is the link! https://thedefineddish.com/homemade-mayo/