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.
Are the mint and parsley necessary
yes they are imperative
I’m going to try this out to incorporate into my meal prep. It looks delicious! How many days do you think it will stay good for? 3/4? Thanks!
Hi Caroline, yep, I’d say 3 to 4. The arugula and herbs will wilt a bit, but if I’m just having it for lunch that doesn’t bother me.
I was wondering if you could substitute goat cheese for feta
Hi Carole, yes! Goat cheese would be great here.
The beautiful photo shows basil only no arugula.
I followed the recipe and made this salad. I did add extra dressing …. Delicious!
I’ll see how the arugula holds up …. Next time I may add the arugula as I serve it to prevent wilted leftovers.
Hi Sue, I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad! We do have arugula in the photo…it’s just harder to see because it’s mixed in with the pasta, not scattered on top. 🙂 It does soften once it’s tossed with the dressing, so if you’d like it to be really vibrant, it’s a great idea to add it as you serve.
Would pistachios be a good alternative to pine nuts?
yep! Or you could just skip them if you wanted.
I’m looking to make a pasta salad with no nuts and no mustard. Is there an alt to the dijon so I can still make this for people with nut and mustard allergies? It looks delicious but I’d love everyone to be able to enjoy it.
Hi Julie, you can just leave both out.
How many people does this serve?
6
6
I just made this salad and in my opinion there are too many flavors in this one dish and they seem to be competing. Next time, I will take out the mint and probably use lighter olive oil as the extra vergin is a bit too strong.
Hello:
Would you still add the chickpeas if you add kalamato olives and red onion? Thanks
Hi Christine, I would still add the chickpeas – it would also be great without them if you preferred.
I made this for a girl scout ceremony and it was a huge hit! I did use sun-dried tomatoes since regular tomatoes are not that flavorful right now. Delicious dressing too!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
So tasty! I’ve used both white beans and chickpeas, and the feta can be swapped for olives if you fancy! It holds up super well for meal prep and is a forgiving and perfect spring / summer recipe
I’m so glad you loved it!
Delish! We made as directed but omitted the mint because we didn’t have any on hand. A hit with the whole family. Served 10 as a side dish. Thank you for posting this recipe
Hi Amy, I’m so glad it was such a hit!
I’m not a cook at all. I needed something for a side for burgers for Father’s Day. It used lots of pots so a pain for me cleaning up. Remember, I dislike long meal prep.
Very tasty, my family liked it. I made as is and will again when forced or duty requires me to make some pasta salad.
Hi Mike, I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
Loved this! Super easy for a cookout side dish. Used Herbs de Provence instead of Italian and highly recommend. Got multiple compliments and many friends asking for the recipe.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Added olives instead of chickpeas and didn’t have any fresh herbs and pine nuts. Is it still the same salad? I don’t care. It is sooooo good! In-laws loved it and even hubs raved about it despite not being fond of feta and olives.
Ha, I love this, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
The salad was good. However the prep is definitely way more than 12 minutes. I prepped even while the pasta was cooking and it took 40 more minutes after that! Perhaps 12 minutes to throw it all together if all your basil is plucked and other ingredients are cut.
I made this a day ahead of time but now I’m concerned the arugula will be wilted tomorrow when I serve…thoughts?
Hi Claire, it will be a bit wilted, but it’ll be fine to eat. You could freshen it by adding a little more as you’re ready to serve.
Everyone loved the pasta salad. It tasted better on the 2nd & 3rd day. Maybe make ahead & add basil, mint, arugula & cukes 4 or 5 hours before serving.
Hi Gail, so glad you loved the recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making this again. The only substitution I made was using seedless cucumber because I couldn’t find the Persian cucumber.
Hi Jo Ann, I’m so glad you loved the pasta salad!
Fabulous combination of flavors! I don’t like herbs de provance, so I used a favorite dressing we like for pasta salad but added the mint and fresh basil… so so good. The pine nuts are awesome in there. I used red lintel pasta and we did a no meat dinner. Walked away satisfied.
Hi Julia, so glad you loved the salad!
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