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!
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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.
Print
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!