A quick and easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe with cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta cheese, bell pepper, and zesty Italian Dressing. A flavorful side dish perfect for summer barbecues and picnics! This lighter no-mayo pasta salad recipe tastes fresh and vibrant, leaving you feeling great!
This light and refreshing twist on classic Italian pasta salad is everything I look for in a feel-good loveable side dish.
It’s tangy with the briny olives, feta cheese, and Italian Dressing. Light and springy due to the bouncy spiral pasta shapes.
It has that nice bite and crunch from the red onion and bell pepper, the fun pop of the juicy tomatoes, and amazing fresh herbs to tie all of the flavors together into one big smile for your taste buds.
Whip it up for your summer picnics and barbecues for a tasty little crowd-pleasing accomplice to your main dish. It’s perfect for meal prep, too!
The best part? The whole recipe takes about 20 minutes to make in total.
Let’s chat about the simple fresh ingredients. The measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Italian Pasta Salad Ingredients:
Pasta: Pick your favorite pasta shape! I use gluten-free spiral noodles to make gluten-free pasta salad, but any kind of pasta noodles work.
Elbow pasta and bowtie pasta also work really well in pasta salad recipes.
Italian Dressing: I made my Easy Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe, which took a total of 2 minutes to throw together.
I make it a day or more ahead of time to minimize prep, and also to ensure all the lovely flavors develop overnight.
Use your own favorite homemade Italian dressing, or go with a store-bought version to make this extra simple!
Veggies: Cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, kalamata olives. These ingredients exude Italian vibes and bold flavor, making this healthy pasta salad recipe taste fresh and inviting.
Swap out the green bell pepper for red bell peppers, and incorporate your favorite fresh vegetables. Use black olives instead of kalamata if you prefer.
Cheese: I use crumbled feta cheese in this recipe because I absolutely love it, but it is very common to use fresh mozzarella balls. They can be found in the deli section of most grocery stores. Or you can buy a log of fresh mozzarella cheese and chop it up!
Optional Additions:
Here are some ideas for you to change it on up!
- 2 cups baby spinach (add after draining the pasta when it is still hot to help wilt the spinach)
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- ⅔ cup chopped salami (It’s very common to add chopped up salami!)
- 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts
- 1 cup homemade pesto sauce (instead of Italian Dressing)
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise to make the dressing creamier if you’d like.
- Chopped fresh herbs such as fresh basil or fresh parsley
How to Make Italian Pasta Salad:
Step 1: Make the Italian dressing, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pro Tip: Make the Italian Dressing up to 5 days ahead of time if you’d like! You can always use your favorite store-bought dressing if you want to minimize prep.
Step 2: Cook pasta according to package instructions. I cook mine a couple of minutes less than instructed to keep it al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander and run cold water over it to help cool it off.
Step 3: Chop the veggies. While the pasta is cooking, chop the bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, and red onion.
Step 4: Assemble the salad. Transfer the cooled cooked pasta to a mixing bowl along with the remaining ingredients.
Stir the pasta salad until everything is well combined and coated in dressing. Taste for flavor and add sea salt and/or more Italian dressing to taste.
Serve with your favorite entrees and enjoy! If you’d like, sprinkle fresh grated parmesan cheese over everything for the most delicious Italian pasta salad.
Store pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The next time you’re craving a veggie-packed side dish, whip up this easy pasta salad recipe!
What makes this recipe different from traditional pasta salad recipes is it incorporates a light dressing of olive oil and vinegar as opposed to using mayonnaise. It also goes heavy on the fresh veggies for a lighter approach.
Serving Suggestions:
This flavorful side dish pairs marvelously with many of the main entrees on this site! Here are some of my personal suggestions.
- 30-Minute Sausage and Peppers
- Basil Crispy Baked Chicken
- Mediterranean Chicken Breasts
- Pesto Chicken and Broccoli
- Beef Tenderloin Recipe
- Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Kale Pesto Pasta Salad
- Pasta Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
Enjoy this mayo free gluten free pasta salad recipe at all your summer gatherings!
Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces gluten-free spiral pasta noodles
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- ⅔ cup pitted kalamata olives or black olives chopped
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 2/3 cup Italian Dressing
- ½ tsp sea salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Italian Dressing and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions (I always cook mine a couple of minutes less than instructed to keep it al dente). Drain pasta into a colander and run cold water over it to help cool it off quickly.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, and red onion.
- Transfer the cooked and cooled pasta to a mixing bowl along with the remaining ingredients, including the Italian dressing.
- Stir the pasta salad until everything is well combined and coated in dressing. Taste for flavor and add sea salt and/or more Italian dressing to taste.
- Serve with your favorite entrees and enjoy!
I omit the olives use green onions rather than red, only half of a green pepper, add mini colored sweet peppers to make one cup of peppers, since I love tomatoes I add extra, and mini cucumbers.
Such a delicious salad!😋😋😋
Sounds amazing, Linda! Thanks so much for sharing! xoxo
This is a great dish to make ahead for our weekend camping trips. I love these flavors together.
Yeeeees it’s perfect for that! Such an easy make-ahead dish! And it tastes better over time, too! xoxox