This Gluten-Free Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing recipe is so quick and delicious, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! It's an easy healthy family dinner or lunch that assembles quickly in 30 minutes warm or cold. Made with gluten-free pasta noodles, cucumbers, broccoli, goat cheese, tomatoes, and a homemade zesty Italian dressing.
The secret to this healthy Italian cold pasta salad lies in our homemade zesty Italian dressing that's bursting with fresh flavors. One bite and you'll be transported straight to sunny Italy. Say hello to your new favorite vegetarian dish, plus I've got variations to make it different ways!
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6
- ⚡ Calories: 511kcal
- 🥣 Ingredients: 9 for the salad plus 7 for the homemade Italian dressing
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Tangy red wine vinegar and Dijon over crunchy raw vegetables with creamy goat cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Boil, rinse, chop, whisk, toss. Serve warm or cold.
Quick Answer
Cook 3 cups of gluten-free Rotini noodles according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and set aside to cool. Whisk together ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon dry basil, 1 teaspoon dry oregano, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper for the dressing. In a large serving bowl add the cooled noodles, 4 cups finely chopped broccoli, 2 cups grape tomatoes, 1 chopped English cucumber, 2 cups shredded carrots, 8 ounces crumbled goat cheese, ½ cup diced white onion and 3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil. Pour the dressing on top and combine well. Serve right away or chill for a couple of hours, which makes it even more flavorful. Serves 6 in 30 minutes.
Jump to:
My delicious pasta salad recipe with an irresistible Italian dressing is your solution to a new favorite easy dinner or side dish. It is so easy to make, gluten-free, vegetarian, and super healthy! This fool-proof recipe will help you whip up an authentic pasta meal in no time. It's fresh, it's flavorful, and it's about to become your new favorite salad!
This pasta salad with Italian dressing recipe uses my dressing recipe but you can use a store-bought Italian dressing as well. Just look for a brand that is most natural and does not contain high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.
Why This Pasta Salad Works
Click to see the technique behind it
- Rinsing the noodles is not optional. Always rinse the noodles with cold water right when they are finished cooking to prevent them from overcooking and becoming mushy.
- Chilling makes it better, not worse. It is meant to be served cold, so letting it chill for a couple of hours lets the flavors absorb and makes cold pasta salads more flavorful.
- Chop the broccoli small. The smaller the bites the more even the taste and texture throughout this pasta salad with Italian dressing.
- Goat cheese instead of mozzarella. I use goat cheese or feta for its mild tangy and tart creamy flavor and it is easier on the gut, which is especially good for those who are sensitive to lactose or experience congestion after eating dairy.
- Dijon holds the dressing together. Two tablespoons emulsify the olive oil and red wine vinegar so the dressing coats the noodles instead of sliding off.
- Cook the pasta the same day. Cooked pasta noodles by themselves will start to clump and stick together if they are not tossed in an oil or dressing.
Why You'll Love This Pasta Salad
- The perfect cold pasta recipe for outdoor BBQs and parties, to make as a side dish with a healthy easy potato salad, broccoli grape salad, chopped kale salad, bowtie pasta salad and homemade baked beans.
- Serve it cold or warm! You can eat this right away or chill it for later in the day.
- Thirty minutes from boiling water to the table, serving 6.
- Gluten-free and vegetarian, with no substitutions needed.
- It travels. The best thing about a cold pasta salad is that you can take it anywhere since you do not need to reheat it.
- Leftovers are lunch. It lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator and makes the perfect leftovers for the next day.
Key Ingredients
- Gluten free Rotini noodles - or fusilli noodles.
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes - you can keep them whole or cut into halves.
- Finely chopped broccoli - the smaller the bites the more even the taste and texture throughout this pasta salad with Italian dressing.
- Shredded carrots - you can grate the carrots with a thick setting on a cheese grater or purchase matchbox carrots from the store.
- Cucumber or zucchini - I have made this with both and both are delicious although my image shows zucchini in this round.
- White onion - you can also use yellow or red onion for color.
- Crumbled goat cheese - or feta cheese.
- Italian dressing - I love using my favorite easy Italian dressing recipe in many of my salads and you can even toss it in this broccoli pasta recipe.
As always, please see recipe card below for full ingredients and quantities.
What to Put in Cold Pasta Salad
You can make a cold pasta salad with Italian dressing with basically pasta noodles and the dressing. Then add any vegetables you have on hand.
- Black olives and mozzarella cheese balls for the classic deli version.
- Chopped bell peppers for color and crunch.
- Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated.
- Mini pepperoni, or switch the goat cheese to provolone and salami squares for an Italian pasta salad recipe.
- A different sauce entirely - many warm pasta salad recipes include Italian marinara sauce or pesto sauce tossed with pasta noodles and sauteed peppers, zucchini, garlic and onion.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
1Boil the noodles. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
2Drain and rinse cold. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the noodles from cooking, then set aside to cool.
3Prep the vegetables and whisk the dressing. Cut the cucumber or zucchini ends off and slice lengthwise. Place the two halves flat and slice again so you have 4 long slivers, then slice the slivers into small chunks. Rinse the grape tomatoes, peel and grate the carrots or use store-bought matchbox carrots, and whisk together the salad dressing ingredients. In a large serving bowl add the cooled noodles, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, goat cheese, onion, and fresh chopped basil.
4Dress and toss. Add the Italian dressing on top and combine well. Serve right away or chill this salad for a couple of hours before serving. This allows for an even more flavorful salad as the flavors combine.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Rinse the noodles the moment they are done. Cold water stops them from overcooking and becoming mushy.
- Do not cook the pasta the day before. Cooked pasta noodles by themselves will start to clump and stick together if they are not tossed in an oil or dressing.
- Chill it if you have the time. A couple of hours in the refrigerator lets the flavors absorb and makes cold pasta salads more flavorful.
- Chop the broccoli finely. Small bites spread the taste and texture evenly through the bowl.
- Read the dressing label if you buy it. Look for a brand that is most natural and does not contain high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.
- Toss the leftovers again before serving. It remixes the dressing that settles to the bottom.
Storing Leftovers
Store this healthy pasta salad with Italian dressing in the refrigerator in a sealed airtight container. It lasts for up to 3 days. Mix it again before serving to mix the flavors together. It makes the perfect leftovers for lunch the next day!
Since there are fresh vegetables in this pasta salad that we want to stay crunchy, this recipe will last up to 3 days in the fridge for the best taste. Otherwise the cucumber and tomatoes will lose their crunch, but it is still safe to eat up to 5 days.
It holds its own next to cucumber salad and chickpea salad on a potluck table, and the leftovers work as a side to just about anything.
Pasta Salad FAQs
Yes! It can be made ahead of time, and in fact, that makes it more delicious. It is meant to be served cold so letting it chill for a couple of hours lets the flavors absorb and makes cold pasta salads more flavorful.
Feel free to switch the goat cheese to provolone and salami squares for an Italian pasta salad recipe. I use goat cheese or feta for its mild tangy and tart creamy flavor and it is easier on the gut, which is especially good for those who are sensitive to lactose or experience congestion after eating dairy.
Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing is amazing but it contains high fructose corn syrup. So we recommend using either Annie's Tuscany Italian Salad Dressing or Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing for a healthy pasta salad recipe. Both can be found at most grocery stores.
Since there are fresh vegetables in this pasta salad that we want to stay crunchy, this recipe will last up to 3 days in the fridge for the best taste. Otherwise the cucumber and tomatoes will lose their crunch, but it is still safe to eat up to 5 days.
I do not advise cooking the pasta the day before. Cooked pasta noodles by themselves will start to clump and stick together if they are not tossed in an oil or dressing.
Always rinse the noodles with cold water right when they are finished cooking to prevent them from overcooking and becoming mushy.
More Healthy Salads
More salads you may enjoy: Easy Potato Salad, Broccoli Grape Salad, Chopped Kale Detox Salad, Bowtie Pasta Salad and Chickpea Salad. If you make this pasta salad with Italian dressing recipe I would love to see your creations and share it! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing Recipe
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus get latest recipes and emails.
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free Rotini noodles or fusilli noodles
- 2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 cups broccoli chopped finely
- 2 cups shredded carrots (matchbox carrots)
- 1 English cucumber or zucchini
- ½ cup white onion diced
- 8 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves chopped
Italian Dressing
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package directions.
- Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking then set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile cut the cucumber (or zucchini) ends off and and slice lengthwise. Place two halves flat and slice again so you have 4 long slivers. Slice the slivers into small cucumber chunks. Rinse grape tomatoes and set a side. Peel carrots and then grate and shred the carrots or use store-bought matchbox ones. Chop the broccoli into tiny pieces. Cut the onion into small dices.
- Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.
- In a large bowl add the cooled noodles, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, goat cheese, onion, and fresh chopped basil.
- Add Italian dressing on top and combine well. Serve right away or chill this salad for a couple of hours before serving. This allows for an even more flavorful salad as the flavors combine.
bacini siktirtme says
Everything is very open with a very clear explanation of the
issues. It was truly informative. Your site is useful.
Thanks for sharing!
Engie says
This cold pasta salad recipe is easy to make , nutritious and refreshing. I also like the details about Italian cold and warm versions of salads. You gave me a general idea of pasta salads. Thanks