The Best Pasta Salad Recipes

It’s summertime – that means sun, sand and pasta salads! Here is a roundup of the best pasta salad recipes around!

If your summer looks anything like ours, you are busy. You are always on the go. You spend more time outside than you do inside. Your family is always hungry – always. This can make it really hard to find the time to make home cooked meals. In addition, eating out gets a little old (and expensive!!). Therefore, finding recipes that you can easily prepare ahead of time is key.

Pasta salad recipes

This is where pasta salad recipes come in. They are versatile, easy to make and perfect to take on the go. Thus, you need an arsenal of pasta salad recipes that you can rely on at any time.

Here is a list of some delicious pasta salad recipes for your on-the-go-summer:

• Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad with an Easy Lemon Vinaigrette
• Healthy Cherry Chicken Pasta Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad with an Easy Lemon Vinaigrette

Loaded with bell peppers, corn and basil, this Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad is drizzled with a bright and fresh Easy Lemon Vinaigrette.

Check out this recipe

Healthy Cherry Chicken Pasta Salad

This Healthy Cherry Chicken Pasta Salad is made with gemelli pasta, shredded chicken, dried cherries, crunchy celery and California walnuts. It’s all topped with a sweet and tangy dressing and is absolutely delicious!

Check out this recipe

Greek Pasta Salad

This quick and easy pasta salad is loaded with all the good stuff – cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, black olives and feta cheese. Finished with a delicious and easy vinaigrette, this Greek Pasta Salad is going to be a staple for your summer meals!

Check out this recipe

Caprese Pasta Salad

Bright and juicy tomatoes, freshly picked basil, creamy mozzarella and pasta – all tossed with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette. This Caprese Pasta Salad is just like a traditional caprese salad, but a little more filling.

Check out this recipe

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

This Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad is loaded with carrots, celery and chicken and tossed in a healthy and creamy buffalo sauce. It’s the perfect quick weekday lunch or side dish for dinner!

Check out this recipe

To dress(ing) or not to dress(ing)

When I make a pasta salad, I always think about when it will be consumed. If I have a few days before the pasta salad will be eaten, I combine the pasta with the dressing. But, I leave out the parts of the pasta salad that could get mushy (think cucumbers, celery, etc.)

Then, the noodles can marinate in the dressing (and absorb all those delicious flavors), but the integrity of the vegetables doesn’t get ruined. It’s a win-win for all parties involved!

pasta salad for picky eaters

Sometimes, meals like pasta salad can be a bit more tricky for picky eaters. All of the ingredients combined, mixed with dressing, can seem like too much for some kids (or adults).

The way I circumvent this problem is by deconstructing the pasta salad. By deconstructing the pasta salad AS I make it, it means less work for me in the long run and it also means that everyone enjoys dinner!

In order to deconstruct pasta salad, I take all of the separate components of the pasta salad and put them in their own little piles on a plate. This way, all the food is separated – an important distinction for picky eaters. I swear by this technique for a lot of meals (including salads)!

Additionally, If you’d like to learn more about picky eating, check out this article from Kids Eat in Color for some awesome tips.

The best pasta salad recipes

I hope you are able to find a pasta salad recipe that you resonate with. All of the recipes listed on this page are fan favorites in our home; I hope they quickly become favorites in your home, too.