Veggie Loaded Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

This easy pasta salad with Italian dressing takes less than 30 minutes to make and is loaded with fresh veggies for a hearty side dish or simple meal prep recipe!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s loaded with so many delicious flavors and is totally customizable! My favorite combination includes fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, banana peppers, massaged kale, Parmesan cheese, red onion, Kalamata olives, and white beans along with a zesty homemade Italian dressing and fresh parsley. But you can switch up the flavors to suit your family’s taste. Use this recipe as a blueprint and make it your own!
• If you loved this pasta salad, be sure to check out my:
  • 20 Minute Vegan Pasta Salad
  • Chickpea Pasta Salad
  • Deviled Egg Macaroni Pasta Salad

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pasta – You can use pretty much any short cut of pasta for this recipe, but I highly recommend farfalle (bowtie), fusilli, rigatoni, penne, or rotini pasta. These noodles all have little ridges, nooks, and crannies that the dressing can easily coat for the best flavor.
• Kale – I like to use curly kale for this recipe and slice it up super thin so that it wilts beautifully into smaller pieces when it’s massaged with the Italian red wine vinegar salad dressing.
• Great Northern Beans – You can replace great northern beans with white beans or chickpeas.
• Fresh Mozzarella – I like to buy mozzarella pearls for this recipe, but you can buy any size of fresh mozzarella and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
• Red Bell Pepper – Red bell pepper adds great crunch, a little color, and a slightly sweet flavor to this Italian pasta salad. You can use green, yellow, or orange bell pepper instead. If you’re not a fan of bell pepper, feel free to sub with cucumber or another crunchy veggie.
• Red Onion – Red onion has quite a strong flavor so stick with just half a small onion. You could also use white onion, yellow onion, or even sliced green onion if you prefer.
• Kalamata Olives – Kalamata olives are my favorite for this recipe but feel free to sub with green olives, ripe black olives, or Castelvetrano olives. Just make sure they are pitted!
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Sun-dried tomatoes add a great sweet, tangy flavor but if you prefer fresh, you can halve grape or cherry tomatoes and use them instead. 
• Banana Peppers – Banana peppers add a zesty tang that gives this pasta salad a ton of flavor. Feel free to omit them if you prefer.
• Parsley – Fresh herbs are a great way to add another layer of flavor to this salad. I love chopped parsley but feel free to sub with fresh basil instead.

Instructions

Make a batch of my super quick and easy Homemade Italian Dressing. 

Add kale to a large bowl. Pour about a 1/4 cup of the dressing over the kale. Massage it for a few minutes until it begins to wilt and becomes brighter green in color.

Add pasta, beans, mozzarella cheese balls, bell pepper, red onion, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, banana peppers, and fresh chopped parsley to the large bowl. Pour dressing over the pasta and mix until well combined. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

• Salt your pasta water. I always add 2-4 tablespoons of Kosher salt to my large pot of boiling pasta water. This amps up the flavor of the pasta and is often a missed opportunity to season your dish.
• Toss the pasta with olive oil. Right after you cook and drain the pasta, toss it with olive oil to coat. No need to rinse it with cold water! This will help prevent the pasta from sticking together and ensure that it doesn’t soak up too much of the dressing and become soggy.
• This easy pasta salad recipe makes a big batch of salad. This recipe is meant for a party! But if it’s just you, or your smaller family, feel free to cut the recipe in half. Though leftovers make great snacks and lunches!
• I typically serve this as a cold pasta salad but if you’re bringing it to a potluck it will be fine to sit out for a couple hours as long as it’s not too hot outside.

Variations

I like to keep this salad loaded with vegetables but if you’re looking to add some extra protein in the form of Italian meats, feel free to add:

• Mini pepperonis
• chopped salami
• cubed ham
• prosciutto

FAQ

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Make-Ahead: This pasta salad will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you’re planning to make it ahead of time, I recommend adding about half the dressing initially. Then just before serving, toss the salad with the remaining dressing. This will ensure that the pasta salad doesn’t get soggy and that the flavors are fresh!
• Storage: Store this Italian pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Easy Pasta Salad Recipes

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