This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is full of pantry staples and couldn’t be easier to make. To help keep things simple, this pasta salad uses a store bought, Creamy Italian Dressing to help everything come together in a flash!

Why Make Pasta Salad?

While I’m typically more of a potato salad gal, this pasta salad is perfect for summer BBQ’s when the idea of leaving out a mayonnaise-based salad gives you the heebie jeebies. This recipe is full of salami, artichoke hearts, briny olives, sweet red bell peppers, red onion, hot cherry peppers and creamy chickpeas. This dish is also gluten and dairy-free, however you can obviously modify it as needed.

What else can I add to Pasta Salad?

This recipe is super flexible, you could add sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, cucumbers, spinach or arugula.

What do I serve Pasta Salad with?

Pasta salad goes great with almost anything! You can serve alongside burgers or sandwiches, brats/hotdogs, grilled fish or chicken.

Additionally, this dish is best served cold or at room temperature, thus making it an easy on-the-go or travel-dish . Lastly, to round out the fullness of this dish, I often mix in some cubed chicken breast -You can also throw in tuna if you prefer.

Ingredients

Gluten Free Pasta: I am a huge fan of Jovial Foods products. They make a fantastic Cassava Pasta, which is grain free. For this recipe I love using fusilli pasta, however elbow or orzo pasta would also work well.

Bell Pepper: Any color will work, red would be best for a bit of added sweetness, while green would add more of a bite to the dish.

Red Onion: This adds a little bit of spice.

Artichoke Hearts: I love the brightness and texture the Artichoke hearts add to this dish.

Kalamata Olives: You could use any olive you enjoy. Like the artichoke hearts, the olives add some brininess to the pasta salad.

Hot Cherry Peppers: If you enjoy a bit of a kick, you don’t want to skip adding Hot Cherry Peppers. I love Jeff's Naturals Hot Cherry Peppers.

Garbanzo Beans: A.K.A. chickpeas. You can totally omit these if you don’t enjoy legumes, however they add a little bit of creaminess.

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Salami: I love salami, as it adds some heartiness to this dish.

Italian Dressing: Of course you could make your own dressing, however there are times when taking a shortcut by using quality store bought ingredients is helpful. Primal Kitchen Foods makes an incredible Dreamy Italian Dressing. This dressing is legit! It’s made with avocado oil, and it is Paleo and Whole 30 Approved. I LOVE this stuff.

Salt & Pepper

dried fusilli pasta, diced red onion, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, olives, cherry peppers and Italian salad dressing

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, prep all of your ingredients.
Once the pasta is done cooking, drain (do not rinse with water) and add to a large bowl.
While the pasta is hot, add the bell peppers, red onion, artichoke hearts, olives, cherry peppers, garbanzo beans, salami and ½ cup of Italian Dressing. Toss to combine.
Taste the pasta salad and add salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta salad is a bit dry, add the rest of the dressing.
Cover the pasta salad and place in the fridge for 4 hours to overnight.
Enjoy it cold or at room temperature.

How to Serve:

This pasta salad recipe makes 4-6 servings, however you can double it if you are looking to feed a crowd. Also, you can serve this pasta salad cold or at room temperature, alongside burgers, sandwiches, hotdogs, grilled chicken or fish.

How to Store:

Store in the fridge in a food storage container for 2-4 days.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad