Happy first official day of summer!!! I feel like I’ve already been in summer mode for a bit on the recipe front—lots of berries, corn, tomatoes, and stone fruit—and I’m loving every second of it. I’m also spending more time outside, my coolers are out of storage, and my fridge is stocked with meals that travel well. Last weekend I packed a big pasta salad with me for a beach day, and it seriously hit the spot. I was just thinking about writing this post the whole time!
I’ll be honest, I’m not someone who can plant herself at the beach all day, but the right food in hand makes a significant difference in how long I stay. And while I respect the beach sandwich crowd, I’m firmly in the pasta salad camp. They travel well, best served cold, and genuinely get better the longer they sit.
All of that to say—pasta salad round up time! To close out our unofficial pasta salad week, this post includes 10 pasta salads with loads of swap-and-sub options, perfect for lunch, a dinner party contribution, or just a quick, tasty weeknight meal.
Quick note: we extended the deadline for the eat goood giveaway until tomorrow, so it’s not too late to enter! Fill out the form (takes one min!) and enter to win over $850 in goodies!! ✨💫⭐️
While there’s a method to the building of a great pasta salad, you can absolutely chop, measure, and create with what sounds good and what’s on hand. I build my pasta salads with a simple formula of a pasta base, protein, veggies, dressing, cheese, and extra fun elements.
Base: Pasta shape impacts the overall experience of a pasta salad, so it’s important to choose one that complements the other components of your dish and how it will be eaten. With a thin dressing and finely chopped vegetables, opt for orzo to keep bite sizes small. For one loaded with veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and artichokes, you can go for a larger shape like penne or rigatoni.
Veggies: Pasta salads are such a summer staple because of the produce that comes with the season. Go wild and use up whatever you have on hand! The recipe calls for tomatoes, but you only have peppers? Swap it out! Pasta salads are a great way to clean out the fridge while getting your fiber in. Leave out any leafy veg until serving to avoid sogginess!
Cheese: Softer cheeses like feta, goat cheese, or mozzarella are great for pasta salads. Since they’re served chilled, these cheeses remain semi-hard rather than becoming too hard or developing a rind, as a true hard cheese would. Parmesan is an exception—I love a sprinkle of finely grated to add a little tang. Make any pasta salad dairy-free by omitting the cheese.
Dressing: The difference between a good pasta salad and a great one is all in the dressing, and it’s so easy to make your own with oil, an acid, dried herbs, and a sweetener, like honey.
Protein boost: Pasta salads can be a full meal when you add chicken, steak, sausage, chickpeas, white beans, or tofu. I love to grill chicken or steak to add to my pasta salads!!
Make assembly fun: Use small prep bowls for your toppings and quarter sheet trays to hold it all together while you prep.
I take my pasta dishes very seriously, so I’ve tested many gluten-free options over the years. The brand you use can affect the final product, depending on the main ingredients—my favorites tend to be brown rice-based for this reason. Here are my current faves:
For rigatoni: rummo (brown rice and corn)
For penne: banza (brown rice and chickpea), rummo (brown rice and corn)
For Rotini: banza (brown rice and chickpea), barilla (rice and corn)
For Elbows: barilla (rice and corn)
For Farfalle: jovial (brown rice)
For Orzo: banza (chickpea), delallo (rice and corn), and jovial (brown rice)
For Tortellini: taste republic (brown rice and potato)
🚨 Important: Gluten-free pasta can become breakable if it’s overcooked, so ensure you’re only cooking it until al dente for your pasta salads. Refer to the package instructions and keep an eye on your pasta as it cooks. Once drained, rinse with cold water.
on to the recipes!
Tortellini and Chickpea Pasta Salad
I love using tortellini in my pasta salads for a cheesy bite. The balsamic dressing on this one is sooo good, I’d make a double batch and use it for other meals, or marinating chicken! Swap chickpeas for white beans or chopped salami.
Ricotta, Pesto, and Corn Pasta with Garlicky Chickpeas
I love this creamy pasta salad—the ricotta is absolutely dreamy. I made it for a little dinner party with my mom and her friends this month and served it over arugula to stretch it further! This one is our June bonus recipe, included in this week’s meal plan.
Tahini Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
My favorite part of this tahini caesar pasta salad is the crispy chicken!! But if you’re short on time, go for rotisserie chicken instead. Rotini is the perfect pasta for the creamy dressing to stick to, and it’s an unexpected hosting hit.
Zucchini, Corn, and Basil Pasta Salad
Pasta salads and grilling season go hand in hand, so it only feels right to use charred veggies. If you don’t have a grill, use a cast-iron pan or grill pan to create the same effect. Roasting the veggies in the oven also works!
Farmer’s Market Pasta Salad
Pick up your produce for this one at the farmer’s market!! It’s veggie and fiber-packed! I love making seasonal variations year-round by swapping out the veggies. You can use it for meal prep too—just leave out the arugula until enjoying.
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
A crowdpleaser of a pasta salad here!! It’s the perfect side to bring to a summer dinner since it pairs well with pretty much any protein. I absolutely love this one with the spiced lamb meatballs from Don’t Think About Dinner (currently on sale!).
Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
This one is simply begging to be eaten out of a deli container on the beach this summer! Bonus points if you make your own pesto instead of using jarred pesto. For extra flavor, I sometimes add sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichokes.
Pantry Staples Pasta Salad
I love using fresh veggies in my pasta salads, but there’s nothing wrong with grabbing some jarred and canned pantry staples (like artichokes, roasted red peppers, and olives). These often carry a brine or oil, so you can skip the dressing or half it if you like your pasta salads lightly dressed.
Tomato-Basil Shrimp Pasta Salad
Minimal cooking and chopping required! It’s a crowd-pleaser and practically impossible to mess up. It’s perfect for cookouts, potlucks, or a weeknight dinner when you want something fresh and summery without a lot of effort.
Chilled Soba Noodle Salad with Chili Walnuts and Shrimp
This chilled soba noodle salad isn’t your typical pasta salad—it’s a chilled noodle salad that combines crunchy chili walnuts with saucy shrimp, crisp veggies, and sticky soba noodles. Begging you all to try this one!!!
prepping
Berry breakfast muffins: We are almost two weeks deep in breakfast muffin testing over here for the prep plan. While I had some flops (literally and figuratively), I’ve finally perfected these for the July Meal Prep Plan, which drops Friday.
Chickpea quesadillas: From the plant-powered chapter of Don’t Think About Dinner, these quesadillas are flavor-packed with adjustable spice levels and come together so quickly. Want to add more protein? Throw in some shredded chicken or thinly sliced steak. Plus, these sourdough-style tortillas might just be my new favorite!
loving
Clear beach bag: I love a bag-within-a-bag vibe, and this clear beach bag is perfect for holding all my essential little pouches at the beach. This helps me keep things organized, sand-free, and I can see everything! Plus the material is super easy to clean.
GoMacro squares: Snacks are essential at the beach, so stocked in my bag were these GoMacro squares, which I am loving. The regular bars are some of my faves for before a workout (I also love that they’re a mother-daughter owned company 🫶🏻).
recommending
Color drenching: Excited to share more home reno updates!! We’re finally painting some of the rooms in our house!! We started with Brian’s office and our bedroom—both in Sherwin-Williams Dark Night. It’s the perfect moody blue for a color drench. Sharing more on IG stories!
Strawberries: It’s officially strawberry season so I can break out my favorite berry recipes and recommend them to you: strawberry goat cheese salad, strawberries and cream chia pudding, berry quinoa salad, and no-bake strawberry bars.
Let me know what pasta salads you’re making this summer and as always, keep sharing what you’re making this week in our chat!
Made your corn zucchini orzo salad last night for dinner! So good 🤤 and used up my farmers market haul!
I made the strawberries & cream recipe but subbed raspberries and cherries for strawberries and used pistachio milk because that’s what I had on hand and it was 💯