Summer Pasta Salad

Looking for a recipe without a ton of dressing ingredients? Our light andeasy summer pasta salad is no-fuss with a simple olive oil dressing you’ll love.

Why this recipe works

You might be thinking, what, just olive oil? Where’s the rest of the dressing? Some of the flavor in this wonderful summer pasta salad comes from crushed pineapple that plays nicely off the olive oil.

With a generous amount of fresh vegetables, this is a pasta salad that you can feel good about eating. We are in love with both this recipe and our farmer’s market summer vegetable pasta salad.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• You can use a mixture of regular and whole-grain pasta for some added fiber and protein.
• If you’re wondering what fun add-ins you could incorporate into this already overflowing salad, try including sunflower seeds, feta cheese, bacon, or sun-dried tomatoes.
• While we give you a list of suggested vegetables in this recipe, almost any of these vegetables can be swapped out for other alternatives in their color family.
• We used rotini noodles, but penne, macaroni elbows, or Farfalle are all good substitutes!
• I always use my herb scissors to make quick work of chopped fresh herbs.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitute Suggestions

Our summer pasta salad has almost the entire rainbow of colors in it, aside from blue. If you’d like a true rainbow experience, start by calling the purple indigo, and toss in some blueberries!

• RED – cherry tomatoes (other alternatives: radishes, red bell pepper, radicchio)
• ORANGE – sweet bell pepper (other alternatives: carrot, sweet potato, orange cherry tomatoes)
• YELLOW – crushed pineapple (we don’t suggest leaving out the pineapple as it’s key to the dressing’s flavor!)
• GREEN – cucumber (other alternatives: celery, zucchini, green bell pepper, green onion)
• PURPLE – red onion (other alternatives: red cabbage, purple radish, purple bell pepper)

How to Make Summer Pasta Salad

1. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and allow to cool as you prepare your vegetables.
2. Use a sharp kitchen knife to chop all the vegetables on a cutting board.
3. Combine the chopped vegetables, pineapple, and pasta in a large serving bowl.
4. Pour the olive oil over the vegetables, pineapple, and pasta and stir to coat with a wooden spoon.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and chopped fresh basil.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Absolutely! You can prep your pasta salad a day in advance and store it, covered, in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. If your pasta salad soaks up a lot of the olive oil after being stored in the fridge, feel free to toss it with a little more just before serving.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes from Jennifer

• My first experiment with putting pineapple in salad was this Hawaiian Macaroni Salad I made last year and it was delightful! An unexpected hint of sweet that worked well with the other vegetables.
• There’s no better way to get kids to eat their vegetables than making them pretty and rainbow-themed! My kids always go crazy for my healthy rainbow spaghetti.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your easy summer pasta salad chilled. It’s a great contribution to a neighborhood potluck and a surefire bet for your own summer barbecue! No mayo means you don’t have to worry about it spoiling in the sun, and whole grain and plenty of veggies mean you can still indulge in dessert without feeling like you overdid it.

More Potluck Salad Ideas

• KFC Coleslaw
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad
• Nana’s Macaroni Salad
• Amish macaroni salad
• German Potato Salad
• Mom’s Potato Salad

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This post originally appeared here on June 21, 2017, but has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.