20+ Most Popular Pasta Salad Recipes

Estimated read time 6 min read



These pasta salad recipes are a delicious addition to your table! Featuring fresh veggies and proteins like chicken and black beans, these recipes are popular with EatingWell readers, so we’re confident that you’ll want to make them again and again. Choose from recipes like our Cucumber Pasta Salad or Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad for a tasty side, quick lunch or satisfying dinner.

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Giada De Laurentiis’ Fregola Salad with Olive Relish & Chickpeas

Ray Kachatorian


Giada De Laurentiis likes to make her pasta salad with a small pasta shape, like orzo or, as here, fregola, a small Sardinian pasta similar to an Israeli couscous (a good substitute if you can’t find fregola). This is a fairly straightforward salad, with some chickpeas for protein, but you could add cucumber, cooked broccoli, bits of cheese, or tuna to make it even more substantial.

Cucumber Pasta Salad

This light and tangy cucumber pasta salad is fresh and bright. The orecchiette pasta holds the dressing for flavor in every bite, but you can use another small pasta shape if you like. This easy salad is perfect for a warm day or to serve as a lunch dish for company!

Pasta Salad with Black Beans & Avocado Dressing

Everyone will love this pasta salad recipe that’s packed with tomatoes, corn and black beans. We lighten up the creamy dressing with avocado for a healthier version of a picnic favorite.

Easy Tomato & Balsamic Pasta Salad

Andrea Mathis, M.A., R.D.N., L.D.

This easy pasta salad is packed with fresh flavor from tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar. It takes just 10 minutes to make and while you could eat it right away, it tastes even better the longer it sits, so plan to leave at least an hour of marinating time before serving. Make a batch to have for lunch this week, serve it alongside a healthy protein source for dinner or bring it to your next potluck.

Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

We’ve loaded this healthy pasta salad with vegetables and bright flavors. Sun-dried tomatoes and a touch of lemon zest jazz up the dressing, while tender-crisp broccoli florets cook alongside the pasta, making assembly (and cleanup!) a breeze.

Dill-Pickle Pasta Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing

If you’re a fan of pickles, this easy pasta salad will become your go-to. If you want to give it some extra kick, an additional teaspoon or two of hot sauce will do the trick. Pair it with anything hot off the grill or pack it up for a picnic. It can also easily translate from a side dish to an entree by adding a can of flaked tuna or shredded chicken.

Walnut Pesto Pasta Salad

This cold pesto pasta salad will cool you off on a summer day. Fresh tomatoes and roasted red peppers add a pop of bright color and juiciness here, but any of your favorite pasta-salad veggies—like blanched broccoli and fresh bell peppers—would be delicious too.

Couscous & Chickpea Salad

Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.

Pesto Pasta Salad

A creamy pesto sauce turns this simple pasta salad into a delightful dinner. Adding broccoli to the pasta cooking water just before the pasta is done is a convenient way to briefly cook it so that it turns a vivid shade of green and softens slightly.

Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls

Pasta salad is a classic summer side dish, but adding protein (leftover grilled chicken is perfect here) and extra greens makes it a super-satisfying lunch. We use baby spinach, but arugula or baby kale works too. Top with a bright and tangy basil vinaigrette just before serving.

Curried Chicken & Pasta Salad

This crowd-pleasing pasta salad is potluck-perfect for barbecue season.

Lemon Shrimp & Orzo Salad

Consider making a double batch of this easy pasta salad—it’s delicious the next day. The orzo will absorb the dressing as it sits, so add a little more olive oil and lemon juice if you’d like.

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas & Artichoke Hearts

Photography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Kady Wohlfarth / Kay Clarke

This hearty orzo salad features feta, lemon and dill, three ingredients often found in Greek cuisine. Enjoy for lunch or dinner.

Ensalada de Coditos Dominicana (Dominican Macaroni Salad)

Ali Redmond

A colorful and hearty summer salad, ensalada de coditos can be customized with ingredients like peas, tuna or ham. This vegetarian version features raw vegetables for added flavor and crunch, and makes for the perfect side to your main dish.

Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavors.

Tortellini Salad

A tomato-rich dressing boosts the flavor and lowers calories and fat in this tortellini salad (the dressing is also great on green salads or grilled fish). Roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes add a good dose of vitamins A, C and fiber.

Pasta, Tuna & Roasted Pepper Salad

The secret to this delicious pasta salad is a creamy low-fat dressing made with bottled roasted red peppers. If you have cooked chicken on hand, you can substitute it for the tuna.

Greek Tortellini Salad

Fresh cheese tortellini and classic Greek salad ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion come together for a fast dish that’s perfect for potlucks, picnics and other casual gatherings.

Macaroni Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Give classic pasta salad a fresher, more flavorful spin. This fast pasta dish calls for avocado to replace some of the mayonnaise, which makes it extra creamy.

Spinach & Dill Pasta Salad

Edamame gives this veggie-packed vegan pasta salad a bit of feel-full protein. Serve topped with extra freshly ground pepper, if desired.

Black Bean, Corn & Avocado Pasta Salad

Jen Causey

Serve this colorful, veggie-packed pasta salad at your next outdoor gathering. From creamy avocado to crunchy bell peppers, this pasta salad is full of texture and flavor. A homemade herb-lime vinaigrette ties everything together.

Vegetable & Tuna Pasta Salad

This delicious pasta salad recipe is made with zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and chunk light tuna, which is lower in mercury than white albacore tuna. For the best flavor, combine the pasta salad with the dressing about 1 hour before serving.



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