Pasta salad is traditionally a summer recipe, but I love to eat this all year long.
The Best Pasta Salad Recipe Ever consists of a variety of vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and salami, all drizzled with a homemade cumin vinaigrette.
I love combining leftover vegetables, cheeses, and meats to create an amazing-tasting salad. This summer, I’ve been trying it for the first time, and it has excited my lunches.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
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So, while pasta salad may be a typical potluck dish, it can also be a tasty, fresh, and delicious meal.
how to select fresh fruits & vegetables
How to make pasta salad
What makes a great pasta salad is the big and bold flavors of fresh herbs and peppers, as well as the cumin and oregano in the dressing.
Overall, creating a pasta salad is pretty straightforward. Start with your favorite pasta for salads; I like Fusilli or Bow-Tie noodles.
To me, the dressing is the most essential ingredient for a pasta salad; it essentially gives it all the flavor.
Whether you like mild or big and bold flavors, a basic, simple pasta salad has four main components: 1) pasta, 2) vegetables, 3) cheese/meat, and 4) dressing.
The base: Pasta of your choice.
While I have seen pasta salad served with various noodles, I prefer bow-tie noodles. But you could easily use a shortcut pasta. I like these two because of the noodle-to-fresh veggie ratio. Plus, let’s be real—eating with your fork (or fingers) is much easier.
It’s all about fresh vegetables!
Using fresh vegetables gives pasta salad stunning pops of color and allows for a great crunch.
Cumin Vinaigrette
This easy dressing takes 5 minutes or less to put together. What is excellent about this cumin dressing is that it’s incredibly versatile. I first used this dressing on my Easy Southwestern Pasta Salad and have not used it in other recipes because it is insanely delicious.
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Best Pasta Salad Recipe Ever
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 1 cups quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels 2 ears of corn, cooked
- 3 cups bells peppers I used the rainbow pack, core, stem removed and diced
- 2 cups English cucumber quartered and sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
- 1 cup green onions chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cubed mozzarella or Monterrey jack cheese crumbled
- 1 1/2 cups Genova salami, quartered
- 1 lb pasta shells pasta of your choice
Cumin Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- t tablespoon white granulated sugar
Instructions
Cumin Vinaigrette
- Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a mason jar. Screw the lid on the mason jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Pasta Salad
- Fill a large pot with water, add 2-3 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil over HIGH heat. Once water is brought to a boil add the pasta and cook until al dente. Check package instructions for approximate time.
- Drain pasta and rinse under cold water, toss with a little olive oil. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile chop tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, corn, green onions and red onion. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked pasta and cheese to the large bowl with the vegetables. Pour the homemade dressing over the top and toss to combine.
- Place a lid on the the bowl or cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can serve this pasta right away or up to for several hours. I sometimes make my pasta salads a day or two ahead of time.Serve cold and enjoy!
This Pasta salad is seriously making me hungry!
Enjoy!
How good this pasta salad looks! My new favorite!
Thank you!
We make this pasta salad very often for our backyard parties! It’s always a hit! It’s rich and tasty!
WOW! This is pasta salad looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you, enjoy!
Such a fantastic pasta salad!! My family would love it!
I hope they enjoy!
This is a summertime staple in my house but this recipe is way better than how I usually make it! Serving it again with dinner tonight! Delicious!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Definitely a new favorite… I love the cumin vinaigrette!
Thank you!
We love a good pasta salad especially in summer! This was so easy to throw together and so good!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
The ingredients do not list cheese, but the instructions do. What kind of cheese and the amount.
Thank you for letting us know! It should be 1/2 cup of crumbled feta or cotija cheese. You can add more or less, or even leave it out completely if you wish.
I have the same question as above. The cheese is not listed in the recipe!
Sorry about that! It should be 1/2 cup of crumbled feta or cotija cheese. You can add more or less, or even leave it out completely if you wish.
Such classic flavors. This really makes me want to go on a picnic!
I love this recipe. I made it last weekend for our barbecue and it was gone by the time the day was over.
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
This is the best looking pasta salad I have ever seen!
This recipe is a winner. The dressing is incredible.
This is beyond delicious! I can always go for this!
Looks incredibly delicious! I would love to make this!
Thanks for your recipes! In a summer, salad is a great food.
This has become a staple at all our parties and gatherings and is the recipe I bring when we go to potlucks. Everyone loves it.
I’ve tried many pasta salad recipes over the years, but yours truly lives up to its name as the BEST EVER! The dressing was zesty and flavorful, and the mix of veggies and cheese was perfect.
This is so tasty and easy to make! Thanks for the recipe!
This really is the best! Loved that vinaigrette with the cumin.
It was the perfect balance of hearty and light!! Everyone loved it! Definitely a recipe I’d make again for a summer picnic or as a refreshing side dish.
This pasta salad was colorful, tasty, and had a great mix of textures. It was both refreshing and satisfying, ideal for a summer meal or a side dish. Definitely a keeper!