This Creamy Pasta Salad has everything delicious about a classic Italian pasta salad, but with the creamiest, most flavorful dressing. It's loaded with creamy cheese, salty meat, and crunchy veggies for the the perfect combo of flavors and textures. Quick and easy to make, it's perfect for lazy summer nights or anytime you need a side dish with minimal fuss and hardly any cleanup.
This Creamy Pasta Salad takes traditional Italian pasta salad ingredients like rich salami, salty olives, crisp vegetables, and creamy mozzarella cheese and tosses them in a crazy delicious creamy vinaigrette dressing. The creamy dressing softens some of those bold flavors just enough so that everything works and no single ingredient is too strong.
After decades of feeding a big family and cooking for a crowd more weekends than I can count, I've learned what makes a recipe worth making on repeat. This one checks all the boxes. Once the pasta is cooked, it comes together in about 15 minutes, then the refrigerator does the rest of the work as the flavors meld. It's the ind of make-ahead recipe yo will be reaching for all summer long.
For even more pasta salad deliciousness, try this Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad for a bright, fresh twist that is perfect for spring and summer. Or if you love a little sweet heat, this Hot Honey Pasta Salad offers a really fun take on a classic recipe.
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Why this recipe made the cut
Every recipe on Borrowed Bites gets tested, re-tested, and tasted by multiple groups to ensure it's something you can be proud to serve! Here's why this one earned it's spot:
- Balanced: Most Italian based pasta salads have a bold, tangy dressing that dominates the flavor profile. This version softens that sharpness and mellows it with a little bit of mayonnaise to bring a balanced flavor profile.
- Quick and easy: While the pasta cooks, chop the vegetables and mix up the dressing. In just 15 minutes of prep time, this salad can be whipped together.
- Flexible: This recipe is easy to customize based on what you have on hand or even personal preference. As long as the ingredients ratios are kept the same the, most substitutions should work.
Creamy pasta salad ingredients
This recipe keeps things simple with classic, easy to find ingredients. You can find exact amounts in the recipe card below, but here are some helpful tip for getting you started.
- Pasta: A medium-size pasta like shells, penne, cavatappi, or farfalle work because they hold the dressing well and are easy to eat.
- Broccoli: Feel free to cut from a full ahead or buy florets and trim them down into bite-sized pieces.
- Bell pepper: We love red bell pepper for the flavor and color, but feel free to use your favorite color.
- Tomatoes: Small cherry or grape tomatoes are usually the most flavorful and just the right size.
- Cucumber: Either a regular cucumber or English cucumber will work, but you might want to peel a regular cucumber before using it.
- Red onion: Adds a pop of color and just the right amount of sharp flavor. If you find it a little too strong, feel free to soak in cold water for 5 minutes before using.
- Black olives: Sliced black olives is a small shortcut that makes this salad just a bit easier.
- Mozzarella: Fresh pearl mozzarella are just small enough.
- Salami: Use your favorite variety as Genoa or hard salami are both great.
- Mayonnaise: We prefer classic mayonnaise here, not light, as it changes the flavor.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil imparts the richest flavor.
- Red wine vinegar: This is the ingredient that gives the classic pop of acidity in pasta salad.
- Spices: Dried basil, parsley, and oregano along with some garlic powder, salt and pepper provide the classic Italian seasoning in this dressing.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make pasta salad with creamy dressing
Bring a large pot of water along with a generous pinch of salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender according to the package directions. Drain and give a quick rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process.
While the pasta cooks, combine all the ingredients for the creamy pasta salad dressing. Whisk the ingredients together and then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the slightly warm cooked pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, salami, mozzarella pearls, red onion, and olives. Pour the dressing over the top.
Gently stir everything until all the ingredients are evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve chilled.
Variations and substitutions
Real life does not always come with a perfectly stocked refrigerator, but luckily this pasta salad is easy to customize. Below you will find swaps that will still allow this recipe to work.
- Swap out up to half of the mayonnaise for greek yogurt for a lighter dressing. We don't recommend using all yogurt as it is too strong. At least some mayonnaise is essential.
- Try white wine vinegar for a more mild substitute.
- Colby jack or cheddar are good substitutes for the mozzarella.
- Feel free to switch out green olives for black olives.
- Fresh herbs can be used in place of dried. As a general rule use triple the amounts of fresh herbs in place of the dried.
- This recipe uses about 3-3.5 cups of vegetables. Feel free to swap out with amounts that you have on hand keeping the overall amounts the same.
What to serve with
Below you will find some of our favorite recipes to serve alongside pasta salad, including main dishes and sides, to help build a complete menu.
- Slow Cooker Blackberry BBQ Beef
- BBQ Chicken With Raspberry BBQ Sauce
- Smoky Grilled Tri-Tip
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken (No marinade!)
- Fruit Salad
- Veggie Platter with Tzatziki Dip
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Simple Honey Citrus Dressing over fresh berries
- Apple Coleslaw (no mayo)
- Baked Beans
How to store
Store any leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Every brand of pasta can cook a little differently, so it is important to keep an eye on the texture. Start by adding the pasta to boiling water. Set a times for 2 minutes less than the package says.
When the timer goes off, taste one to see if it is tender on the outside but firm in the middle. If it is too crunchy, continue to check at 1 minute intervals until it is the correct texture. Then quickly drain and rinse in cool water to stop the cooking process.
The timing of the dressing is the most important step in this recipe. Add the dressing to the noddles while they are still warm. They should have just been rinsed in cool water, but still maintain a bit of warmth. This helps the flavor of the dressing to really soak into the pasta.
Tips & tricks
- Don't overcook the pasta. Pasta salad is best when the pasta still has a little bite to it.
- Dice the vegetables the same general size. Texture plays an important role in the overall dish.
- Pour the dressing on the pasta while it is still slightly warm. You want it to be just warm enough to soak up the flavor of the dressing while not so hot that it melts the cheese or wilts the vegetables.
More recipes
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This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 1 lb small to medium pasta elbows, shells, penne, rotini
- ½ cup bell pepper diced
- ½ cup cucumber diced
- 1 cup broccoli in small pieces
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into fourths
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
- 1 cup salami finely diced (4 ounces)
- ½ cup sliced olives
Creamy Pasta Salad Dressing Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt to the water (it doesn't have to be exact). Add the pasta and cook until tender, according to the package directions.1 lb small to medium pasta
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the creamy dressing in a separate bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk until smooth and well combined.⅓ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, ⅔ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Once the pasta is tender, drain it and rinse quickly under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl.
- Add in the remaining pasta salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the top and gently stir until everything is evenly coated. Place in the refrigerator until cold. Serve cold.½ cup bell pepper, ½ cup cucumber, 1 cup broccoli, ½ cup red onion, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 8 ounces mozzarella pearls, 1 cup salami, ½ cup sliced olives
Notes
- Don't overcook the pasta. Pasta salad is best when the pasta still has a little bite to it.
- Dice the vegetables the same general size. Texture plays an important role in the overall dish.
- Pour the dressing on the pasta while it is still slightly warm. You want it to be just warm enough to soak up the flavor of the dressing while not so hot that it melts the cheese or wilts the vegetables
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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