Imagine a bowl of perfectly cooked pasta, all drizzled in a super easy Italian-style dressing that hugs every twist and turn — this pasta salad isn’t just easy, it’s endlessly customisable. Whether you’re clearing out the fridge or prepping ahead for a picnic, this one’s all about big flavour, bright crunch and absolutely no soggy lettuce in sight.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kath said: “Love the dressing on this salad, used rocket as I couldn’t get pea shoots. So tasty😋” See comment
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I love this simple pasta salad – it’s so easy to customize to with whatever you’ve got in. Make a double batch of the Italian dressing so you can use it all week! It’s not just something that’s been plonked on the buffet table as an afterthought. This one’s properly flavour-packed, thanks to that easy homemade Italian dressing that clings to the pasta and gives you a hit of zesty, salty, garlicky flavour to lift every single bite.
I’ve made this pasta salad countless times and what makes it a firm favourite in our house is how flexible it is.
Leftover roast chicken? Toss it in. Veggie day? Load it with crunchy slices of bell pepper and juicy cherry tomatoes. It’s my summer go-to meal – it tastes great to eat in its own right, brilliant for making ahead, and it holds up in the fridge without going claggy or bland — ideal for lunches, picnics, or a last-minute BBQ side.
How long do you think it took this carbivore and her equally carb-loving family to devour this 8-person salad? – Let’s just say it didn’t last the day.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Recipe Notes
- 📋 Ingredients
- Ingredient swaps
- How to make this pasta salad
- How to Make the Italian Salad Dressing
- Pro Tip
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Pasta Salad Recipe with Italian Dressing Recipe
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- ? Frequently Asked Questions
- 🍲 More fantastic Salad recipes
- Looking for a picnic dessert too?
📋 Ingredients
- Pasta – Use large-ish pasta shapes. I like to use fusilli as the salad dressing clings to those little spirals beautifully
- Vegetables – We’ve got crunch with the cucumber and red onion, juicy tang with the tomatoes (plus pretty colours) and freshness with the pea shoots and parsley. You can swap out the pea shoots with spinach, lambs lettuce, watercress or rocket if you like.
- Cheese – I’ve added some mini fresh mozzarella balls to give a creamy bite that compliments the crunchy veggies. You can leave out if you want it dairy-free, or you could replace with feta, goats cheese or even cubes of cheddar.
Ingredient swaps
This pasta salad is super versatile – you can make lots of swaps, depending on what you have in.
- Swap out pea shoots for spinach, lambs lettuce, watercress or rocket if you like.
- Swap out the mozzarella with feta cheese, goats cheese or cheddar.
- Add in sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, and anchovies for a Mediterranean-style salad.
- Add cooked shredded chicken, crumbled crispy bacon, or little slices of salami/chorizo/coppa/prosciutto for a meaty addition.
How to make this pasta salad
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- Cook the pasta in a large pot as per the pack instructions. Drain and run under cold water to cool, which stops the pasta from overcooking and prevents it from sticking.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Add in the tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumber, red onion, pea shoots and parsley.
How to Make the Italian Salad Dressing
Make the Italian style salad dressing by mixing together all of the dressing ingredients in a jug or jar until combined.
Drizzle over half of the dressing and toss everything together, then serve the pasta salad with the remaining dressing. I make up a big batch of the dressing and store it in a jam-jar in the fridge so I can use it throughout the week.
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Pin ItPro Tip
Once your pasta’s perfectly cooked, run it under cold water straight away — this stops the cooking process and helps keep that lovely al dente bite. Nobody wants mushy pasta in their salad!
📺 Watch how to make it
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Pasta Salad Recipe with Italian Dressing
Ingredients
Pasta Salad:
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) dried pasta shapes (I use fusilli for this recipe)
- 450 g (1 lb) cherry tomatoes sliced in half – I like to use rainbow tomatoes, but you can use regular
- 300 g (10.5 oz) mini mozzarella balls/pearls sliced in half
- 4 baby cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber, sliced
- 1 large red onion peeled and sliced
- 65 g (2 cups) fresh pea shoots (you can replace with lambs lettuce, watercress or mild rocket)
- 1 large bunch fresh parsley chopped
Italian Style Dressing:
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) white wine vinegar
- zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Maldon salt flakes
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions.500 g (1.1 lbs) dried pasta shapes
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, make the Italian-style salad dressing by mixing together all of the dressing ingredients in a jug or jar until combined.120 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil, 45 ml (3 tbsp) white wine vinegar, zest and juice of ½ lemon, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp Maldon salt flakes, ¼ tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- Drain and run under cold water to cool and prevent it from sticking.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Add in the tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumber, red onion, pea shoots, and parsley.450 g (1 lb) cherry tomatoes, 300 g (10.5 oz) mini mozzarella balls/pearls, 4 baby cucumbers, 1 large red onion, 65 g (2 cups) fresh pea shoots, 1 large bunch fresh parsley
- Drizzle over half of the dressing and toss everything together.
- Serve the pasta salad with the remaining dressing.
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes! This pasta salad is perfect for making ahead. I’d suggest just drizzling a little of the Italian dressing over it (so it doesn’t get soggy), then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. The flavours in the dressing develops and actually makes this pasta salad even tastier!Cover and refrigerate the remaining Italian dressing with the pasta salad so you can pour more on when it’s time to serve.
Can I freeze it?
No, unfortunately, the veggies won’t stand up to freezing and would become mushy upon defrosting.Ingredient swaps
- Swap out pea shoots for spinach, lambs lettuce, watercress or rocket if you like.
- Swap out the mozzarella with feta, goats cheese or cheddar.
- Add in sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, and anchovies for a Mediterranean style salad.
- Add cooked shredded chicken, crumbled crispy bacon, or little slices of salami/chorizo/coppa/prosciutto for a meaty addition
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This easy pasta salad recipe was first published in June 2020. Updated in August 2025 with additional information, added photos, new photos, recipe improvements, added video and for housekeeping reasons.
🍽️ What to serve it with
Why not serve this tasty pasta salad as part of a picnic with:
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Tear-and-Share Sausage Rolls (or my vegetarian sausage rolls)
- Cheese and Tomato Tarts
- French-Pressed Sandwich Bites
- Cornish Pasties
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This pasta salad is perfect for making ahead. I’d suggest just drizzling a little of the Italian dressing over it (so it doesn’t get soggy), then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. The flavours in the dressing develops and actually makes this pasta salad even tastier!
Cover and refrigerate the remaining Italian dressing with the pasta salad so you can pour more on when it’s time to serve.
I like to use fusilli as I love the way that the Italian dressing clings to the pasta swirls. You could swap it for rotini, farfalle, penne or what ever pasta shapes you have in your store cupboard.
🍲 More fantastic Salad recipes
Looking for a picnic dessert too?
I love hearing about other peoples food choices!, What would be your perfect picnic to go with this pasta salad?
Are you a one-course picnic person? or has it got to be like a giant buffet on a blanket? (yes to the giant buffet from me).
- Mason Jar No-Bake Cheesecakes
- Banana Bread Energy Balls
- Portable Apple Crumble and Custard
- Salted Caramel Millionaires Shortbread
- Chocolate Coconut Crunch
- Gooey Rolo-Stuffed Cookies
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I added chicken and chorizo and this meal was delicious. The best salad I’ve ever made. Thank you so much Nicky😊
Hi I have been following kitchen sanctuary for a while now doing this recipe at the moment, notice the ebook which I subscribed to but never got the book can you advise how I get it.
My salads were always bland and lacked imagination until I found kitchen sanctuary, loved this addition to my new found love of salad, especially in the warmer months. I’ve also got to mention the fantastic new eBook, I’m working my through the aptly named Weeknight Family Dinner Favourites – everyone’s a winner in this house. Thank you!
Wow, thanks so much Dawn.
So pleased that you are loving our recipes and glad you’re loving the new ebook too 🙂
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Love the dressing on this salad, used rocket as I couldn’t get pea shoots. So tasty😋
I like a bit of rocket too, I love the peppery taste with that dressing. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky