This Best Pasta Salad Recipe is made with Homemade Dressing & Roasted Tomatoes! It is the perfect healthy & flavorful make-ahead BBQ side dish full of fresh veggies, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella cheese! Gluten-free & Vegan options!
What is a summer BBQ without an awesome pasta salad?! This Best Pasta Salad Recipe with Homemade Dressing is always the hit of the party, and a must-add to any summer gathering menu! It’s a go-to for me whenever we’re pulling out the grill to feed a crowd!
This Pasta Salad Recipe is full of fresh summer veggies, features roasted baby tomatoes, and is tossed with a homemade dressing that is out of this world! The perfect compliment to anything you decide to toss on the barbecue.
How to make Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing
This homemade pasta salad recipe is SO easy to make, which is one of the reasons I love it. Even making your own dressing is so simple!
Step 1: Roast the tomatoes
One thing that sets this pasta salad recipe apart from all the rest is the addition of roasted baby tomatoes. A little secret about yours truly…I do NOT like raw tomatoes! (Gasp)! It’s true! I’m a raw-mater hater!
However…I could eat roasted tomatoes all day long! The roasting really brings out the sweetness and imparts of depth of flavor that just can’t be beat…which is why they shine in this easy pasta salad recipe!
The roasting process is simple, drizzle on some olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and pepper, stir and bake. Just be sure to bake long enough that the tomatoes become shriveled and dry out as much as you’d like!
Step 2: Make the homemade Italian dressing
What sauce to put in pasta salad? This is a question that gets asked a lot about pasta salad recipes, and of course my answer is a Homemade Dressing! In a pinch I have tried bottled dressings and always regret it.
The Homemade White Balsamic Italian Dressing in this pasta salad recipe literally takes 3 minutes to toss together and shake up! TOTALLY worth it! No processed ingredients or additives here!
A note a on white balsamic vinegar.
I adore white balsamic vinegar for both the taste and the color! It doesn’t turn the pasta salad an off-putting brown color like regular balsamic vinegar. However, if you don’t keep the white variety on hand, and don’t care if your pasta salad recipe turns out a little darker, then regular balsamic vinegar can totally be used with equally delicious results!
Step 3: Put it all together
Once you have roasted the tomatoes and made the dressing, this easy pasta salad recipe with homemade dressing comes together in no time! Here are a few notes on the method to help you out!
- Chopping veggies. We prefer our vegetables to be chopped pretty small, so that we can get a little of everything in each bite! To make this even easier a food processor can be used to dice them up very quickly!
- Rinse the pasta. Rinsing the pasta will cold water after it ha been fully cooked will ensure it doesn’t become over-cooked, and will keep it from absorbing too much dressing!
- Adding the dressing. As you can see in the recipe video, the homemade dressing is added to the pasta salad after the hearty vegetables and cheese have been mixed in with the pasta. Be sure to evenly coat everything before adding the parmesan cheese and the fragile roasted tomatoes!
- Let it set. I recommend letting this recipe sit covered in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours before serving, or overnight.
- TASTE and adjust! Before serving pasta salad always taste it and adjust the seasonings as necessary! Depending on the pasta used, you may even need to add a touch more dressing. I usually adjust the salt and pepper right before serving!
FAQs Best Pasta Salad Recipe:
Here are a few more important notes about this healthy pasta salad recipe!
Can you make pasta salad the night before?
One of the (many) wonderful things about this Best Pasta Salad Recipe with Homemade Dressing is that you can make it a day in advance! I actually prefer to prepare it ahead of time to give the flavors a chance to blend together. Just remember (as stated above) to taste, adjust seasonings, and garnish before serving!
How long can you keep pasta salad in the refrigerator?
Another great quality of this Best Pasta Salad Recipe with Homemade Dressing is that you can make it once and enjoy it all week long! After a BBQ we keep this homemade pasta salad in the fridge and enjoy it for lunch or dinner for up to 5 days!
Best Pasta Salad Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes on the ingredients and possible substitutions in this easy pasta salad recipe!
- Pasta: You can easily make this dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta and pepperoni!
- Vegetables: Feel free to swap the veggies in this recipe for your favorites.
- White balsamic vinegar. Regular balsamic vinegar works perfectly in this recipe, just keep in mind it will impart a dark color to this homemade pasta salad recipe.
- Olive oil. Both canola and avocado oil work well in this recipe. However I think olive oil is the best choice!
- Dried seasoning. Feel free to substitute fresh herbs if you have them on hand!
- Pearl Mozzarella. If you cannot find pearl mozzarella, simply chop fresh mozzarella cheese into small cubes!
- Pepperoni. For a lighter version use turkey pepperoni!
How to make this pasta salad recipe vegan:
If you leave out the pepperoni and fresh mozzarella you have yourself a vegan version…however those are two of my favorite ingredients in this salad…so I would only omit if absolutely necessary!
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The Best Pasta Salad Recipe with Homemade Dressing
Ingredients
Pasta salad:
- 16 oz (4 cups) uncooked tri-color rotini pasta, or gluten-free rotini
- 1 cup pepperoni diced
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
- 1 small cucumber diced
- 2 cups bell pepper diced (colors of your choice)
- 2 (6 oz) cans sliced black olives
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing:
- 1 cup olive oil
- ½ cup white balsamic vinegar*
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Roasted tomatoes:
- 2 pint baby tomatoes
- 2 TBS olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- In a small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, mix together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
- When finished, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Roast your tomatoes:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Slice your baby tomatoes in half.
- Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread onto a large baking sheet and bake for 60-90 minutes.
- Once tomatoes are shriveled and roasted to your liking, remove from oven and let cool.
Putting it all together:
- In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, cucumber, bell pepper, , olives, and Parmesan cheese.
- Add the dressing and mix to combine.
- Toss in the roosted tomatoes.
- Let cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving.
Video
Notes
- *Regular balsamic vinegar works well too, be aware that it will give your salad a darker color!
- This pasta salad recipe makes a LOT of salad. It can easily be halved to feed an smaller crowd!
- Please use fresh mozzarella cheese for best results
Nutrition
More Delicious Side Dish & Salad Recipes!
Looking for more salad recipes that are perfect to serve at a potluck or BBQ? Here are some of my favorites!
*Note:* This recipe was originally Published on June 27th, 2016 but has been updated with new photos, a video and the recipe is doubled from the original!
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!
Lealo
what is ground mustard? do you mean mustard powder?
Melissa
I too would like to know how to adjust the time for 20 uncooked tri-color rotini pasta?
Thanks, I love your recipes.
Claire
I’m not on Instagram but I have glorious pictures of this! I’m gluten free and low fodmap so this was perfect yet delicious and easy to make for the meal prep! My husband eats ‘normal’ pasta but decided he would also eat this as was the best pasta salad he had tried 🙂 thank you!
Laura
Don’t forget to upload them to the August recipe challenge page for a chance to win! 🙂
Renee D Russell
I like using thawed frozen tortellini and small cubes sharp cheddar cheese!
cheryl williams
I just made this with brown balsamic and it tasted great!!! Added fresh chopped zucchini and olives and it is beautiful! Thank you for the recipe !
Laura
Thank you Cheryl! This is our go-to summer recipe! Love the addition of zucchini!!! YUM!
Ryinne Jacquemin
I’m super excited to serve this at my best friends bridal shower tomorrow. I LOVED making the entire recipe and I had to stop myself from eating it as I crafted it!! Thank you for this!!!
Faye
I had this pasta salad Sunday when I went to visit my granddaughter her husband and my two great-grandchildren 🙂 I can honestly say this was the best pasta salad I’ve ever had and I do love my pasta salad and it’s hard to find a really good one. My granddaughter gave me the link for the recipe. I live in a senior community and I’m going to make it very soon for a potluck dinner we’re having. And I must say it’s all about that dressing wow it is delicious.
Laura
Thank you SO much Faye! YES the dressing is definitely so important!!
Martha
This looks great and I’d like to try it. I have a question about the tomatoes, though. Can they be roasted a day or two ahead of time? I assume just stored in a sealed baggie until needed? Thanks so much!
Laura
Hey Martha! Theoretically they can be, but I’m afraid they might get too mushy. I think part of the flavor comes from them being immediately incorporated into the pasta salad!
Mary
This was a big hit with my family. Love love love the dressing and love the white balsamic. The recipe called for “grated” Parmesan cheese but I used “shredded” because it looked so pretty on the picture.
Sarah anderson
Wow awesome recipe.. and the way you present the dressing is much more impressive..
Laura
Thank you Sarah!
Christie
Oh my word. This looks amazing. So tasty, colorful, and perfect for a picnic.
Laura
It is PERFECT picnic food!!! You can make it the night before and toss it in your basket for a great meal outdoors! 🙂
Corrine
Yum! Love the idea of roasting the tomatoes. I bet that ads all sorts of depth to the dish! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Laura
Thank you Corrine! The roasted tomatoes are my favorite part of the dish! 🙂
Becky @ LovetobeintheKitchen
This looks heavenly! I’ve never had a pasta salad with roasted tomatoes before and now I can’t wait to try this! Pinned for later! 🙂
Laura
Oh my word you must give it a whirl! Roasted tomatoes seriously enhance the flavor of all the other ingredients beautifully!
Miz Helen
Your Pasta Salad will be delicious, I just love this combination of flavor. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a fabulous weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Laura
Thank you so much! It definitely packs huge flavor!!
Bonnie
I love summer salads. Looks yummy! I’m visiting today from #shinebloghop. Pinned to my recipe board.
Laura
Thank you Bonnie! I could (and do) eat a salad every day! 🙂
Maria
Yum! This pasta salad looks so yummy. Honestly, you got me at roasted baby tomatoes! I’m a fan of roasted tomato anything, so this was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us at #shinebloghop this week. Pinning this so I can make it later.
Laura
Aren’t roasted tomatoes the best?!?! Thank you so much Maria!
Farrah
Yummy! That looks delicious! I happen to have some white balsamic vinegar that I’ve been meaning to use! :D! Can’t wait to try this out!
Laura
I love white balsamic vinegar! It tastes amazing without imparting any brownish color!
Taylor-Made Homestead
This looks delicious, and would be a great dish to bring to a covered-dish gathering as well. We have several of them coming up soon. Thanks for sharing! (Stopping by from the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop)
~Taylor-Made Homestead~
Texas
Laura
Thank you! It’s such a great make-ahead dish to feed a crowd…in your home or elsewhere! 🙂
Kristy from Southern In Law
Oooh, this looks SO good! I can’t get enough of mozzarella or salami at the moment so this looks perfect! <3
Laura
Thanks Kristy! They really are a made for each other! 🙂 <3
Nicole Johnson
This salad looks SO great. I’m such a sucker for a flavorful pasta salad. YUM!
Laura
Who isn’t?!?! Right?! 😉
Beverley @ Born to Sweat
ooo the roasted tomatoes!! What a great touch! usually i just add them in regular, but i’ve been finding that tomatoes these days aren’t as juicy as they once were. i’m definitely going to try roasting them next time for a change. also love the idea of the cubed mozza cheese. saving this!
Laura
I don’t love raw tomatoes…like at all! So roasting is a must for me! 😉 You really can’t go wrong with fresh mozz!!
Karly
Is it picnic time yet!? This looks absolutely incredible!!! Love love love all of the colors and flavors- especially those roasted tomatoes!!
Laura
Thank you so much Karly! Anytime is a good time for a picnic! 🙂 Roasted tomatoes really are delicious!! Have a great day!
Emily
I love the rich, deep color of the roasted tomatoes, and I really love a roasted flavor too. Pasta salad is one of my very favorite foods to eat in the summer, so this would be AMAZING to get to make. Maybe I’ll make it because a birthday is coming up on Sunday! 🙂
Laura
I love the way roasting brings out the flavor of tomatoes! 🙂 It’s definitely perfect birthday party fare! 🙂
rachel @ athleticavocado
this pasta salad takes the traditional version to a whole new level! love that you made your own dressing and toasted tomatoes to go with it, pinned 🙂
Laura
Thank you Rachel! The roasted tomatoes really give it a huge flavor boost! 🙂
AZ@...And a Dash of Cinnamon
Love the homemade dressing! I want to start trying to make my own too!
Laura
Homemade dressing is SO much better than store bought! And you know exactly what you’re putting into it! 🙂 Thanks for stoping by! 🙂