Best Pasta Salad Recipes

GREEK PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, green and red peppers, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over the pasta and mix together. Cover and chill for 3 hours before serving.

THE BEST CREAMY PASTA SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Rinse well with cold water until pasta is cold.
• Place cooked and cooled pasta in a large mixing or serving bowl.
• Mix in broccoli florets, red onion, red bell pepper, cucumber, sliced olives and cheese.
• Whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over pasta and other ingredients.
• Gently fold in dressing until all ingredients are evenly coated.
• Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

PASTA CRAB SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Toss with crab and vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

CREAMY CRAB AND PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
• In a bowl, blend the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey mustard, and dill. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, sour cream mixture, crabmeat, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and green onions. Cover and chill until serving.

BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown. Drain and chop.
• In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Stir in milk until smooth. Place rotini, bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese in bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a little dry.

SHRIMP PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain again., In a large bowl, combine pasta, shrimp, peas, green onions and parsley. Mix remaining ingredients; stir into pasta mixture. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours.

QUICK ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cool.
• Combine pasta, salami, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, salad dressing, olives, and mozzarella cheese in a large bowl. Mix dry salad dressing into pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

BOW-TIE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the bow-tie pasta at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain.
• Quickly rinse the cooked pasta in cold water to stop it from continuing to cook; drain.
• Mix the cooled pasta, broccoli, tomatoes, sliced green onions, celery, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper in a large bowl.
• Gently stir the salad dressing, Parmesan cheese, sugar, basil, and salt in a bowl until evenly mixed.
• Pour the salad dressing mixture over the pasta mixture; gently toss to coat evenly.
• Refrigerate 3 hours to overnight before serving.

GREEK CHICKEN AND ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Slice the chicken into 1-inch-wide pieces. Set aside.
• For the breadcrumbs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium ovensafe skillet, heat the butter, olive oil and garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the breadcrumbs and salt and toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and toast until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined.
• For the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with the dressing while still hot, then let cool to room temperature.
• When cool, stir in the tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Top with the feta, sliced chicken and breadcrumbs.

TOMATO FETA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
• For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, and toss well.

SALMON PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss the pasta, salmon, tomatoes, cucumber and onion. For dressing, combine the oil, lemon or lime juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper; mix well. Pour over pasta. Cover and chill. Serve over lettuce.

TUNA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, combine the pasta, tuna, carrot and onion. Combine remaining ingredients; whisk until smooth. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

SHRIMP AND PASTA SHELL SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl; add lemon juice and 1/3 cup chopped dill. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate.
• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and stir in pasta shells; cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool pasta slightly; drain again. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Toss shrimp with pasta; add red bell pepper, celery, and dressing to pasta and shrimp. Mix thoroughly to coat and fill shells with dressing. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 3 hours.
• Stir salad again before serving and season to taste with more salt, black pepper, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper if desired. If salad seems a little dry, mix in a little more mayonnaise. Garnish with paprika and sprigs of dill.

CREAMY PESTO PASTA SALAD WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl; keep chilled until ready to toss with salad. (Store in clean jar with lid.)
• Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 Tbs. of salt to boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using package times as a guide, boil, stirring frequently and adding asparagus the last 1 minute, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto a large, lipped cookie sheet. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining salad ingredients.
• Place all salad ingredients (except buttermilk dressing) in a large bowl or transfer to a gallon-size zippered bag. (Can be covered and refrigerated several hours at this point.) When ready to serve, add dressing; toss to coat and serve.

COLD SHRIMP PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, peas, green onions and parsley. Stir in the pasta. , In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CHICKEN CLUB PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
• Whisk Italian-style dressing and mayonnaise together in a large bowl. Stir pasta, chicken, bacon, Muenster cheese, celery, green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and avocado into dressing until evenly coated.

PASTA SALAD WITH HOMEMADE DRESSING

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
• In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, pepperoni, provolone cheese, red onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olives, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
• In a jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Seal jar, and shake well.
• Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta salad, and toss to coat. Cover, and chill 8 hours in the refrigerator

CONTEST-WINNING PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook spiral pasta and tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the artichokes, broccoli, provolone cheese, salami, peppers, beans, olives, onion and garlic. , Prepare salad dressing according to package directions; pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

SHRIMP PASTA SALAD WITH ITALIAN DRESSING

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Run pasta under cold water and let cool in a large mixing bowl.
• Add shrimp, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, broccoli, vinegar, garlic, oil, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Toss well, coating everything with the spices, oil, and vinegar. Chill for at least 1 hour.
• Serve cold; sprinkle Parmesan over individual servings.

COLORFUL SPIRAL PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water., Transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives, salt and pepper. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Chill until serving.