Easy Summer Pasta Salad
Updated May 30, 2023
Quick Summary
Easy Summer Pasta Salad-a simple pasta salad recipe that is perfect for all of your summer BBQ’s and potlucks!
I make this Easy Summer Pasta Salad every year for neighborhood and family parties. It is always the first salad to go and I always get lots of requests for the recipe. I am so glad we have a blog so I can share it here! Now, everyone can have enjoy this recipe! YAY! I know you are going to love it. It is the perfect pasta salad for summertime!
I love this pasta salad because it is loaded with fresh summer vegetables. It is a great recipe for using up all of the vegetables from your garden or farmers market haul. The vegetables make the salad bright and colorful!
How to Make Summer Pasta Salad
- For the salad, we used Farfalle pasta. I love using butterfly pasta because it is pretty and fun to eat! You can use any pasta, use your favorite or what you have in your pantry.
- Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions.
- To the pasta, we added tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, artichokes, fresh basil, and feta cheese.
- Toss the salad with balsamic vinaigrette. I love using my homemade dressing, it is so easy to whisk up! Of course, you can use your favorite store-bought dressing.
- Garnish with extra basil, if desired.
How to Store
This pasta salad is a great recipe to take to summer BBQ’s and potlucks. It transports well and can be made for the masses. You can easily double, triple, or times this recipe by 10 if you need to. Just make sure you have a big bowl:)
We also love eating this pasta salad for lunch or dinner and the leftovers are great. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, you might want to toss it in a little extra dressing.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
- Greek Tortellini Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Spinach Artichoke Pasta Salad
- Italian Tortellini Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
Easy Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pasta (we used farfalle)
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 1 small orange bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 1 large seedless cucumber, chopped
- 12 oz jar artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette (can use store bought)
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup finely chopped basil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain, then rinse with cold water to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, peppers, cucumber, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. Pour the balsamic dressing over the pasta salad and gently stir to combine. Add the feta cheese and basil and stir again. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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This is a delicious and healthful summer salad. Easy to prepare, after all the pepper dicing, and very attractive on the buffet table. My family loved it!
Yay! So happy you liked the pasta salad!
love it also im at school lol eatting this:)
Can’t wait to try this one.
It’s so good!
I made this salad over the weekend and it was delicious. I appreciate how much detail you share in your recipes. The farfalle pasta was perfect, it holds up well when mixing in the rest of the ingredients. And I took your suggestion (from the comments section) and used Maple Grove Farms balsamic dressing. I’ve been wanting a go-to pasta salad for parties, and this is the one. Thank you!
So glad you liked the pasta salad. Thanks for letting us know!
Absolutely wonderful, skipped artichoke hearts, not familiar with them. But everyone loved it
Approximately how many people does this recipe feed as a side dish?
About 10 people
What can I substitute for the peppers? My dinner guest is allergic to all peppers. I could use zucchini, but is there anything else I could use, or would that be enough?
You can use any veggies!
Got rave reviews on this all around. Everyone loved the variety of veggies. I made my own dressing by blending red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and fresh red onion in a magic bullet which made it creamy. Was fantastic!
Why is your pasta white. I didn’t realize the balsamic would make it brown. It wasn’t very appealing. It tasted ok.
We love this salad! I found the recipe several years ago to make when we camp. We’ve even eaten it for breakfast! Leftover grilled chicken is also a nice addition.