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.
I was surprised how much I liked the dressing. Spit it in half with parm for kids, full salad with Arugala for adults.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this pasta salad yesterday to take to work for lunch this week and I must say it is absolutely perfect. The salad held up really well in the refrigerator overnight and I’m looking forward to having it a few more times this week. I had never thought of adding herbes de Provence to a pasta salad before and wasn’t sure I’d really like it but it is delicious. I only used two cups of whole wheat pasta as I wanted a higher veggie to noodle ratio. I also used a whole can of chickpeas. It turned out great and I will definitely make this again. Especially now during the summer when cherry tomatoes are at their very best.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was so yummy with herbs from my garden and spicy tomato oil. Gonna make this all summer!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Trying to put the recipe together but not sure how big of a box to buy. How many ounces is 3 cups of pasta?
Hi Samantha, it’s about 8-12 ounces, so less than 1 box.
Fantastic tasting and extremely easy salad! My husband loved it.
Great tasting salad with healthy ingredients. It looks and tastes like a salad that you would find on a cafe menu!
Have you figured the nutritional information for it by chance?
Thanks
Hi Connie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I don’t calculate nutrition facts but you could plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
Made this as a contribution to a cul-de-sac get-together. Followed the exact recipe, but used gluten-free pasta. It was a huge hit. Thanks!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Really good! Easy and flexible, great for weekday family dinners.
I really enjoyed this pasta salad. It was simple and tasty and I love the addition of arugula and herbs!
Hi Shira, I’m so glad you loved it!
Wow, I made it exactly as the recipe although used goat cheese . Love it. Fabulous flavors swirling around the bowl.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is the best pasta salad ever!! I used sun dried tomatoes instead of the feta. Also omitted the pine nuts and added a couple of Tbsp of pure maple syrup to dressing. DELISH! I haven’t made it for anyone that didn’t like it!! Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Shawna, I’m so glad it’s been a hit!
Tasted great! I used baby spinach instead of arugula and it turned out just fine. Only thing I am going to omit next time is the parsley. Not a huge fan of it in this specific dish. Other than that it was delicious!
love this dish! so easy to make and the whole family loved it too!
this sounds amazing! how long would you say the leftovers stay good in the fridge for?
Hi Krystal, I’d say 2-3 days. If the pasta gets dry, toss it with a little more olive oil before serving.
I made this for an end of school pool party for my son’s class. This was for the teachers and moms along with some chicken salad, fruit, etc. It was a huge hit! Thank you for sharing it and all the tips.. Delicious!!
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
The recipe says that it serves 6. What is the serving size? 1 cup per person? More? Less?
Hi Kristin, I didn’t measure the final dish in cups, but this makes a pretty big bowl so it’s probably more than a cup per person.
Great recipe, very refreshing! Made everything as is but I didn’t have the pine nuts and it was excellent. I only made it for 2 people, so I definitely could have cut it in half. Full recipe would have been great for company!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is fantastic! A huge hit for the whole family.
This is an AWESOME pasta salad! I made a 1/2 recipe and added canned tuna. Didn’t have basil so I used a “full” tablespoon of pesto, worked very well, but no mint. Needs more fresh lemon juice.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Best. Pasta. Salad. Ever. If you’re making it ahead of time I would double the dressing. I didn’t have arugula so I used baby spinach. It was amazing. This one’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!