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
- 1½ 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 fresh basil leaves, torn
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 tablespoons fresh 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.
Nice and tangy, but imo too many different herbs! Mint AND parsley AND basil AND chilli AND all the herbes de Provence makes the flavours a bit confusing and crowded. I’d maybe cut back to just parsley and mint (an interesting and unusual combo) and put them in the dressing. Also I think needs more pine nuts for that good nutty flavour – the quarter cup just gets lost. Wouldn’t hurt to make a little extra dressing too.
I never thought I’d say this, but I’d add a less cheese next time. The feta was a bit overpowering. I’d start with half a cup and add to taste from there. Nice salad overall, though.
Most flavorful pasta salad I’ve ever had. Don’t change anything when making this recipe, it’s delicious! Thank you for sharing with us.
This was super simple and delicious! Love the idea of adding corn and also would try sauteeing the garlic next go around. Overall, great recipe!
I LOVE this salad! Even my husband (who doesn’t get excited about salad for dinner) said this was amazing!
I’m making this tonight. You mention that it’s a vinaigrette dressing but there’s no vinegar listed in the ingredients. Is it correct as written without vinegar?
Hi Patti, technically you are right. Occasionally we refer to tangy dressings as vinaigrettes even though we just use lemon as the acidic component. The written recipe is correct!
Lemon is used in place of the vinegar. The dressing is superb!
This pasta salad is absolutely scrumptious! Everyone loved it. It is definitely worth the effort, but it took me way longer than 22 minutes to prepare it.
Hi Suzanne, thank you for the feedback! I’m so glad it was worth the effort.
Your salad sounds delicious. How many days would it last in the fridge. Thank you
I made this a couple weeks in a row for meal prep and it lasted 5 days just fine!
Great salad! Filling, delicious, and healthy.
Fabulous salad, and healthy, and a meal!
It is for sure not 15 minute prepare salad but
Worth every minute spent!!
I did add different salad greens to the arugula for a milder taste. Love it!
What did you use instead of arugula ?
Delicious, easy and fresh!
This turned out really tasty! I didn’t have cucumbers on hand, and I forgot the mustard. But it is still very good!
One of the best salad recipes I have ever made. I think I’ve made it six times in the past two months.
It was so delicious ?
Can’t wait to make it again !
Okay, I just made this to take to a bbq later this afternoon. I haven’t added the arugula or basil (will also add fresh oregano) yet, but I want to take a big bowl and spoon and go to town! So good! I used orzo, I added a little lemon zest (when life gives you lemons…) I used boconccini cheese, and added kalamata olives. I made a little more dressing than called for, and I don’t regret it. Will definitely make again! Don’t be put off by the initial strong taste of the dressing, the salad can take it!
Can this be made a day prior to an event or should it be made the day of?
Hi Jen, it can – I’d save the herbs and arugula until you’re ready to serve.
Doesn’t have taste at all. Had to add a multitude of my own spices
Thank goodness you’re clearly in the minority!
Made my own rendition by adding sweetcorn and slightly cooking the garlic tk reduce the bitterness, but followed the recipe of the dressing to the T. Stunning salad!
Made this for a family cookout today. I received tons of compliments and requests for the recipe. Used mozzarella instead of feta and cashews instead of pine nuts because of a variety of guests. Very good pasta salad!
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Great pasta.