You are going to fall in love with this delicious Italian Pasta Salad!
This unique recipe is packed with bold flavors and tons of veggies, and it's super easy to make ... perfect for all your summer entertaining!
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My schedule is already getting crazy ... and summer isn't even here yet! Between travel and get togethers with friends and family, every minute seems to be packed.
Which is why I love easy dishes that can be made in advance, like this Italian Pasta Salad! This delicious recipe is simple to make, yet the bold flavors are out of this world delicious.
It's also loaded with veggies and other good stuff, like giardiniera. Really, each bite is a treat!
Ready to try it for yourself? Then keep reading for all the details.
About the Recipe
This cold pasta salad with Italian dressing is full of yummy ingredients, yet it takes very little preparation.
Want to know the secret? The star of this tasty Italian Pasta Salad is antipasto.
You've probably had antipasto before. It's often served as a first course or appetizer before Italian meals ... think olives, pepperoncini, giardiniera (marinated veggies), artichoke hearts, cheeses, etc. Yum, right?
And the best thing about antipasto is that you can purchase much of it premade. Which means this vegetarian Antipasto Pasta Salad is ready fast, and it's simple to prepare!
Ingredients
This easy recipe is packed with flavorful, healthy ingredients that you can find in any grocery store:
- Pasta (I used cavatappi, but any spiral or even tube shaped pasta will work.)
- Fresh Veggies: Kale, Red Onion, and Grape Tomatoes
- Marinated Artichokes
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Giardiniera (marinated vegetables)
- Olives (I like Kalamata, but any variety would work.)
- Fresh Basil
- Homemade Italian Dressing
I used my favorite antipasto ingredients for this Italian Pasta Salad, but you can easily change things up to suit your taste.
For example, you could use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh, regular canned artichokes instead of marinated, or any variety of olives. Don't like olives or raw onions? Skip them. Can't find fresh mozzarella? Use regular mozzarella instead. Want to simplify the recipe? Cut down on the number of ingredients. It's up to you!
How to Make Italian Pasta Salad
This yummy pasta salad is simple to make, but it has a few steps, and I'm breaking each one down for you below.
Making the Dressing
To get started, you need to make the homemade Italian dressing. That way the flavors can blend while you work on the remaining ingredients.
This vinaigrette is so easy to make. Just whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, dried basil and oregano, salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar. Feel free to adjust the ingredients (adding more/less oil or vinegar, etc.) depending on how you prefer the dressing to taste.
It's a super easy vinaigrette. But if you want to save a little time, then you can use a bottled dressing. This Zesty Italian is one of my favorites!
Preparing the Pasta and Kale
Next, you'll cook the pasta. Any sort of spiral or tube shape will work ... I used cavatappi. Want to make this recipe gluten-free? Simply use gluten-free pasta!
Once your pasta is cooked, rinse it under cold water until it's chilled. This will keep it from overcooking and sticking together. Make sure to drain it really well before adding it to your salad.
This recipe serves a crowd, so get out your biggest bowl. You'll add the chopped kale to the bowl, along with a little of your Italian vinaigrette.
Get in there with your hands and massage the dressing into the kale. When you're done, the kale should be reduced in volume by about half. Yes, it's kind of a weird technique, but it really does make the kale tender!
Assembling the Pasta Salad
Add the cooled pasta to the kale, along with all those veggies and giardiniera, basil, and fresh mozzarella (skip the cheese to make this recipe vegan). Then drizzle the homemade vinaigrette over the top and mix everything together.
Unless your bowl is totally ginormous, this part might get a little messy. It's totally worth it though, because it's soooo delicious!
This easy Italian Pasta Salad serves a crowd, making it perfect for summer entertaining. If you're only serving yourself or a small family, you could also make a batch on Sunday to eat during the week ... it keeps really well in the fridge.
However you serve it, this is one dish you'll enjoy all summer long!
Related Recipes
Looking for more summer recipes? Try one of these next:
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Cold Asian Noodle Salad
- Watermelon Basil Quinoa Salad
- Kale Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon-Basil Dressing
- Greek Tortellini Salad
- Chinese Chopped Salad
- Tropical Rice Salad
- Southwest Pasta Salad
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For Salad:
- 1 pound pasta (such as cavatappi)
- 4 cups chopped kale (about ½ a large bunch)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
- 1 cup chopped roasted red pepper
- 1 cup chopped giardiniera
- ⅓ cup halved olives
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water
- ½ cup sliced basil
Instructions
Prepare Vinaigrette:
- Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, basil, oregano, sugar, and pepper until well combined.
- Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if desired, then set aside.
Prepare Salad:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender.
- Drain pasta, then rinse with cold water until chilled. Set aside to drain further.
- Place kale in a large bowl; add about ¼ cup of vinaigrette. Massage dressing into kale with hands, until kale is tender and volume is reduced by about ½.
- Add pasta and all remaining ingredients to kale.
- Whisk remaining vinaigrette, then pour over salad. Mix well. Taste salad and adjust seasoning with a salt, if desired.
- Serve pasta salad immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
What is your favorite summer recipe?
This sounds delicious! I hope to be making it soon. Thank you also for the vegan option. I have vegan friends so this would be a great option to take to gatherings.
If I had it all my way, I would like to see a price estimate on the salad. One time, I made a "taco salad" my mom used to make, and it cost me over $20!
I hope you enjoy it, Lara! Thanks for the suggestion. That would definitely be helpful ... I know what you mean about recipes that end up being more expensive than you thought. I don't have the exact cost for this, but it's probably a little more expensive with stuff like fresh mozzarella, artichokes, etc. Although you could definitely shop around to save a bit.
I was looking for a good salad and this is it. Looks so good love the kale in it.
Thanks, Maria! I had to sneak some kale in there 😉
I watched your video yesterday and learned about massaging Kale. This morning I was watching Hallmark Home and Family and a chef prepared a pasta with Kale. Guess what he did before he added it to the pasta? He massaged it just like you did! This recipe looks so good and is perfect for summer
That is too funny! I think that really is the trick to making a delicious kale salad 🙂