Cold Italian Pasta Salad

Easy Cold Italian Pasta Salad with fresh mozzarella, salami, pepperoncini, kalamata olives and the perfect homemade dressing to take it over the top. Not only is this Italian pasta salad recipe delicious but it's super customizable.

I love pasta salad. If pressed for my favorite meal, pasta salad is what I will choose, and this cold Italian pasta salad is one of my very favorites. It is fresh, flavorful, and can be thrown together in less than half an hour. What's not to love? 

Cold Italian Pasta Salad

I'm not gonna lie, I've already made this recipe several times this summer. I love to serve it for dinner with a green salad and some fresh bread, and then eat the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week.

My other favorite pasta salad recipes are this delicious Bowtie Pasta Salad or our Ranch Pasta Salad. Find all of our yummy salad recipes here. 

Best Italian Pasta Salad

So what is needed for the perfect Italian pasta salad you ask? Let me tell you.

Italian Pasta Salad Ingredients

• Good Quality Pasta
• Salami
• Mozzarella
• Pepperoncini
• Kalamata Olives
• Tomatoes
• Parsley
• Fresh Parmesan Cheese 

Pro Tips: 

• Make sure your water is well salted. It seems like a small thing, but this will add flavor to your pasta. 
• Use this homemade dressing recipe. While store bought Italian dressing will totally work, this homemade version will take this dish over the top. Plus, once you realize how easy it is to make you'll never want to buy a store bought dressing again, promise. 
• The great thing about this recipe, is that it is super customizable. If you don't like something, no worries, just leave it out. Rather have pepperoni than salami? Or no meat whatsoever? Fine. Basically this recipe is easy to adapt and hard to mess up.
• Save leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 5-7 days. 

Italian Style Pasta Salad

Here's a quick look at the Homemade Italian Dressing just to try to convince you one last time to give it a go.

Literally all you do is pour all the ingredients into a mason jar or blender and shake or pulse to combine.

Voila! Our cold Italian pasta salad is perfect summer dinner or side dish.

If you make this recipe and enjoy it we would love for you leave us a positive comment and review, they mean so much to us.

Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Easy Italian Pasta Salad with fresh mozzarella, salami, pepperoncini, kalamata olives and the perfect homemade dressing to take it over the top.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 378kcal

Author: Pretty Providence

Video

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Rotini Pasta Cooked and Drained
• 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes Halved
• 8 Ounces Mozzarella Balls
• 1 Pound Salami Cut Small
• 1 Cup Kalamata Olives Sliced
• 1 Cup Pepperoncini
• ¼ Cup Red Onion Chopped
• ¼ Cup Fresh Parmesan Flaked or Shredded
• 1 Cup Homemade Italian Dressing

Instructions

• After pasta is cooked and drained rinse with cool water to prevent sticking.
• While pasta is cooking wash and slice tomatoes, halve olives, and chop the parsley and onion.
• Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss together. Add dressing a little at a time until coated to your preference.

Notes

Pro Tips: 

• Make sure your water is well salted. It seems like a small thing, but this will add flavor to your pasta. 
• Use this homemade dressing recipe. While store bought Italian dressing will totally work, this homemade version will take this dish over the top. Plus, once you realize how easy it is to make you'll never want to buy a store bought dressing again! 
• The great thing about this recipe, is that it is super customizable! If you don't like something, no worries, just leave it out! Rather have pepperoni than salami? Or no meat whatsoever? Fine! Basically this recipe is easy to adapt and hard to mess up! 
• Save leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 5-7 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 1083mg | Potassium: 349mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @prettyprovidenceblog or tag #prettyprovidence!

Happy eating friends. 

xo, 

This post was originally published June 23rd, 2020 and has been updated with video.