Italian Chopped Pasta Salad is a delicious take on the classic Italian chopped salad. It’s the perfect light meal or side dish for a summer BBQ or picnic!
Italian chopped pasta salad is your new favorite summer pasta salad! It’s light, fresh and filled with delicious ingredients. Noodles, salami, chickpeas, tomatoes, onion and mozzarella balls are topped with a tangy dressing.
It comes together quickly and tastes even better the next day. It’s a perfect pasta for a summer BBQ or picnic.
For other summer salad ideas, try my pasta with peas and mint, French potato salad, or niçoise salad recipes.
Ingredients
A few simple, high-quality ingredients come together quickly to make this delicious pasta salad.
Pasta Ingredients
- Penne pasta
- Garbanzo beans
- Red bell peppers
- Cherry tomatoes
- Salami
- Fresh mozzarella
- Red onion
- Fresh basil
Dressing Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Greek yogurt
- Honey
- Italian seasoning
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Italian chopped pasta salad is so easy to make! I like to chop the ingredients into larger pieces so it’s easy to pierce them with a fork.
1. Cook pasta al dente.
2. Make zesty, fresh dressing.
3. Assemble pasta salad ingredients.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss. Enjoy!
Variations
A few simple substitutions can help make this salad your own.
- Pasta – Substitute penne with your favorite short noodle shape.
- Fresh herbs – Top with fresh basil or parsley for serving.
- Pepperoncini – Classic chopped salad has pepperoncini so add some if you have them on hand.
- Vegetarian – Make this vegetarian but substituting the salami with sun dried tomatoes.
Storage
Store the pasta salad in the fridge for 3-4 days. It tastes even better the next day.
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Italian Chopped Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 27
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
The perfect summer pasta salad! This easy pasta salad is an easy take on the classic Italian chopped salad.
Ingredients
Salad
1lb box of penne pasta
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium-sized red bell peppers, diced into 1 inch cubes
2 cups of cherry tomatoes (about 20 tomatoes), sliced in half
8oz of salami, cut into strips
8oz fresh mozzarella cheese balls
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
Dijon Vinaigrette
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 tablespoons full fat plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse for about 20 seconds with cold water. Add to a large serving bowl.
- Make dressing: In a small mixing bowl, add red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, greek yogurt, honey, dried oregano, and salt and pepper. Mix well with a whisk. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until emulsified into a smooth texture.
- Assemble pasta salad: Add remaining ingredients to bowl with pasta. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss with a large spoon until well combined. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 12
- Cuisine: Italian
This salad was a huge hit! I’ll be making it for every BBQ this summer. Thanks for another great pasta!
Simple classic but comes together into a really delicious dish!