Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

This Italian pasta salad recipe is healthy, fast, and easy to make! A tangy vinaigrette, salami, mozzarella, and fresh herbs make this one delicious main course or side dish! Ready in only 30 minutes.

It’s the time of year where I’m bouncing back and forth between soups/winter comfort food and more summery dishes. It’s been above freezing here for a few days now, and I’m hoping that it’s the last of winter. I might be a bit premature hoping for that, though, as we usually get at least one big dump of snow in March. Ah, Canadian winters.

I always think of cold pasta salad as a warm weather food. That doesn’t have to be the case, but I do want to get some more pasta salads up on my blog in time for warmer temperatures. Last summer my balsamic Caprese pasta salad did really well, as did my grilled chicken pasta salad. I’m hoping this Italian pasta salad recipe will be popular too – it’s so simple and delicious.

This is a great make-ahead pasta salad for BBQs, picnics, potlucks, or other summer parties/gatherings. It comes together in half an hour, and you can do the chopping while the pasta cooks.

I used penne in this easy pasta salad recipe since that’s the only pasta I had 4 cups of. I have this big box filled with smaller boxes of assorted pasta in my storage room, but apparently not much of any one kind. You can use any pasta that you have on hand.

What kind of dressing do you use in pasta salad?

The dressing is super simple. I wanted to keep this pasta salad pretty light and healthy. A bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar let the other flavors shine through. Buy good quality salami and you’re well on your way to the best Italian pasta salad.

Have you made this penne pasta salad recipe? Let me know in the comments below!