This summer pasta salad is perfect for warm spring and summer days. It’s loaded with tender pasta, fresh veggies, and salty feta, all coated in a creamy Italian dressing. It’s fresh, flavorful and perfect for a light lunch, or to take to your next potluck!
This summer vegetable salad is such a light and refreshing side dish. Its packed with fresh vegetables like tomatoes, sweet corn, crunchy cucumber, and arugula and tossed in your favorite vinaigrette dressing. The vegetables can also be swapped out for others you like, or whatever you have on hand. This is a great way to use up your fresh veggies from your garden.
Why Make this Recipe
- Great Make ahead Option – This veggie pasta salad is a great make ahead dish because everything soaks up the dressing flavor even more with time. You can make it up to 24 hours in advance, and toss the salad again before serving to recoat everything in the dressing.
- Light Side Dish – This pasta salad is loaded with fresh veggies, and just a little dressing and cheese making it a perfect lighter side dish to pair with your summer bbq favorites like burgers and brisket!
- Customizable Recipe – Load this pasta salad with your favorite ingredients, change the veggies for what you have on hand, or if you don’t like some leave them out.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- rotini pasta – or other short pasta like farfalle, fusilli, orecchiette, cavatapi, or shells
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- bell pepper
- red onion
- corn
- arugula
- feta cheese
- fresh basil
- fresh parsley
- Italian dressing
- salt and pepper
Variations and Substitutions
- Different veggies: Other great veggie options would be broccoli, lightly sauteed squash or zucchini, pickled beets or cauliflower, marinated artichoke hearts, banana peppers, carrots, etc.
- Parmesan: Swap the feta out for Parmesan cheese, or try cubes of cheddar cheese
How to make Vegetable Pasta Salad
Step 1: Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in a large pot of water until its al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables. Steam or grill the corn until its cooked through, and cut the kernels off the cobb. Cut the tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber and cut them in half. Dice the red onion and bell pepper.
Step 3: Toss everything together. Add the cooked pasta, veggies, salad dressing, and fresh herbs, to a large bowl and toss them together. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Tips and Tricks:
- Salt your pasta water – Salting the pasta water will keep the actual pasta flavorful. I like to add a couple Tablespoons of salt to the boiling water, then add the uncooked pasta.
- Cook to Al Dente – We want our pasta to be cooked to al dente or about 1 to 2 minutes less than the shortest time suggested on the pasta package. This will keep the pasta from being too soft, especially as it soaks up the Italian dressing.
Storage Instruction
The pasta salad can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Toss the pasta in the dressing again before serving as it will have settled to the bottom.
This is a great make-ahead recipe because it gets better with time in the fridge. You want to chill the recipe for at least 1 hour in the fridge, but it can be made a day ahead of any events with great results.
This summer veggie pasta salad is such a great fresh side dish, perfect for serving at your next barbecue, potluck, or just enjoying all week long for lunch!
More Pasta Salad Recipes
If you make this Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad please leave a comment and 🌟 rating letting me know what you think! If you post the photo on Instagram, please tag me – I’d love to see what you’re making!
Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 TBS salt
- 12 oz dried rotini pasta
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 ears corn (steamed, and sliced off the cobb
- 1/2 red onion (diced, about 3/4 cup)
- 1 bell pepper (diced, about 3/4 cup)
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup snap peas (ends popped off)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 12 oz Italian dressing (minced)
- 2 TBS finely chopped basil
- 2 TBS finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp coarse pepper (to taste)
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt to the water. Add the pasta and cook it until al dente according to directions on the package, about 1-2 minutes less than the time on the package. 1 TBS salt, 12 oz dried rotini pasta
- Prepare the veggies by slicing and dicing as needed. 2 ears corn, 2 cups arugula, 1/2 red onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 cup diced cucumber , 1 cup snap peas, 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Add the pasta vegetables, and cheese to a large bowl and stir them together. 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- Add the dressing, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper and toss together. Add more seasonings as needed to taste. 12 oz Italian dressing, 2 TBS finely chopped basil , 2 TBS finely chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp coarse pepper
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, up to overnight to let the flavors meddle.
Notes
- Salt your pasta water – Salting the pasta water will keep the actual pasta flavorful. I like to add a couple Tablespoons of salt to the boiling water, then add the uncooked pasta.
- Cook to Al Dente – We want our pasta to be cooked to al dente or about 1 to 2 minutes less than the shortest time suggested on the pasta package. This will keep the pasta from being too soft, especially as it soaks up the Italian dressing.
Nutrition
This vegetable pasta salad was first posted on December 11, 2014. The photos, recipe, and blog text were updated on June 7, 2024.
Lisa says
I made your vegetable pasta salad tonight to have alongside rotisserie chicken quesadillas. Everyone loved it. My husband could not stop eating it. I substituted radishes for the celery since I don’t like celery and added cherry tomatoes and toasted almonds. Just a couple of questions. Is it supposed to have 3 tablespoons of mustard? That seems like a lot for only 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I just put in a heaping teaspoon of each mustard and it was perfect. I also added a splash of worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. I have never heard of salad burnet. Where do you find it? Thanks for the great recipe!
Ellen says
I am so happy to hear that your family loved the salad. It really depends on how much you like mustard but your additions sound perfect for your family. Salad burnet was an unique herb I found when I was trying new flavors and herb. It is okay to leave out because it is very minimal, but it tastes a little like cucumber.