Light & Easy Pasta Salad

This is one of those go-to recipes that’s just right for warm weather. It’s hearty enough to be a meal, bright and colorful enough for a potluck, and loaded with flavors everyone loves.

Here’s why it’s a summer staple:

• Comes together in about 30 minutes
• Easy to customize with what’s in your fridge or garden
• Full of textures—crunchy veggies, chewy pasta, and creamy cheese
• Great warm, but even better the next day!
• Works as a main dish or side (hello, BBQ season!)

I love a lighter meal when it gets hot outside, and this pasta salad is just perfect for hot weather!

What Makes It So Good

This salad is super adaptable, but a few ingredients really make it shine:

• Pepperoncini: These briny little peppers bring a subtle tang and brightness that takes the flavor up a notch. They’re very mild on the spicy index. If you don’t like any spice, you can leave them out.
• Grilled Chicken: Optional, but makes it a full meal. You can skip it if serving alongside burgers or BBQ.
• Italian Dressing: Use your favorite zesty Italian or go creamy with ranch if that’s your crowd’s style. (Olive Garden’s dressing is a family favorite here!)

Tips to Make It Even Better

A few tricks help your salad stay bright, flavorful, and not soggy:

• Cool the pasta completely before adding cheese or dressing. Warm noodles soak up too much liquid, leaving the salad dry.
• Chop everything small. You want a little bit of everything in each bite—not big chunks.
• Make it ahead. This salad is even better after it’s been refrigerated overnight and the flavors have had time to meld.
• Toss gently. Once everything’s in the bowl, give it a gentle mix so the ingredients stay intact.

Storage & Leftovers

• Fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days. It holds up well and might even taste better the next day!
• Make-ahead tip: If prepping early, wait to add the dressing and cheese until the day you plan to serve it.

Serve Pasta Salad With

My favorite dishes to serve this Easy Pasta Salad with include:

• BBQ Chicken
• Grilled Chicken (You can omit it from the recipe if serving with grilled chicken.)
• Jello Salad
• Hamburgers
• Hot Dogs
• A Bowl of Sliced Melon
• Grilled Corn On The Cob

Recipe Card

Light & Easy Pasta Salad

Pasta salad featuring pepperoncini's for a subtle tang and brightness that takes the flavor up a notch.

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Course: Easy Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 Servings

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Juliea Huffaker

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Ingredients

• 16 ounces of veggie rotini pasta cooked and drained.
• 1/3 a red onion finely chopped
• 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 2 chicken breasts grilled and diced small.
• 1 cup small chopped broccoli tops
• 1 cup chopped olives
• 1/2 cup small diced cheddar cheese I like sharp cheddar in this salad
• 1/2 cup small bacon pieces Optional but good!
• 1/2 of a cup chopped Pepperoncini
• 1 cup Italian dressing I love Olive Garden Italian dressing or zesty italian salad dressing. My kids love this pasta salad with Ranch dressing too.
• Garnish with chopped parsley

Instructions

• Cook your pasta by boiling it for 10 minutes. Then drain and set it aside to cool.
• Grill or cook your chicken breast, and dice into small pieces, and add to cooked pasta. You want the pieces of this salad small enough that you can get a bit of almost everything on one bite, hence small diced chicken.
• Roughly chop onion, broccoli, tomatoes, olives, and pepperoncini to your desired size.
• Add chopped bacon pieces.
• Chop sharp cheddar cheese – BUT DO NOT ADD TO BOWL TILL PASTA IS TOTALLY COOL or it will melt.
• Add Dressing and toss. If you add dressing before pasta is cool, the pasta will absorb all the dressing, and your salad will be dry (or you’ll have to add a lot more.)
• Toss pasta salad, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate till ready to serve!
• Garnish with Chopped Parsley
• Enjoy!

Notes

1. Make sure your noodles are totally cooled before adding the cheese or the dressings! If you add cheese to warm noodles it melts or gets too soft and warm. If you add dressing to warm noodles, they absorb the liquid and you have a dry pasta salad (not so good).
2. It’s best the day after you make it… If you are making this for a potluck or get together, make it the day before so the flavors can meld together overnight in the fridge!
3. Chop ingredients small enough to get a bit of almost everything on your fork! This way you can enjoy the flavor combinations, instead of one thing at a time!

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g

Easy Pasta Salad Variations

This pasta salad is very versatile! Try adding chopped mushrooms, fresh monsterella cheese, pepperoni slices, summer squash slices, bell peppers, red peppers, sweet peppers, green olives, chopped baby spinach, or your favorite veggies!

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