Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Our Absolute Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes By Martha Stewart Editors Martha Stewart Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter Website An article attributed to "Martha Stewart Editors" indicates when several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The Martha Stewart team aims to teach and inspire readers daily with tested-until-perfected recipes, creative DIY projects, and elevated home and entertaining ideas. They are experts in their fields who research, create, and test the best ways to help readers design the life they want. The joy is in the doing. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 20, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Ren Fuller If you're feeding a crowd, there's nothing better than a big bowl of pasta salad. Whether it's for a summer cookout, a holiday buffet, or an anytime accompaniment to a sandwich, pasta salad works and always wins. Our pasta salad recipes can be made well in advance—and toted to a potluck or picnic—and are perfect for big-batch cooking throughout the week. A chilled pasta salad holds up remarkably well in the fridge, too: You can make a big batch of noodles and mix in fresh vegetables without dressing the salad first. The beauty of a pasta salad is that you can edit and tweak the formula any way you wish—choose your favorite noodle, a blend of vegetables, a sprinkle of protein if need be, and sauce or dressing when you're ready to serve. 01 of 15 Spaghetti Salad Mike Krautter Here's a colorful and different pasta salad. While we generally recommend a short pasta for this dish, we also love this rendition, complete with long, skinny strands of pasta. It's chock full of bell peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta. View Recipe 02 of 15 Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Green Beans, and Basil Ren Fuller If you're a fan of mayo-based pasta salad, we have you covered. This hearty, delicious vegetarian pasta salad has it all: There's crunch from the green beans and protein from the chickpeas, while red onion adds a bite and fresh basil brings a wonderful aroma and herbal freshness. View Recipe 03 of 15 Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas Ren Fuller Our summer go-to, this vegetarian pasta salad is protein packed thanks to the mozzarella and chickpeas. It's also mayo-free—a lemony-garlic-oregano dressing brings plenty of punchy flavor. View Recipe 04 of 15 Orecchiette, Celery, and Olive Salad with Ricotta Salata Ren Fuller Orecchiette are "little ears," but in this recipe, the pasta serves as little bowls for salty, soft cheese, crunchy celery, and briny olives. View Recipe 05 of 15 Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula Gemelli pasta is combined with cannellini beans, goat cheese, arugula, and a touch of Dijon mustard for a satisfying and flavor-packed pasta salad. View Recipe 06 of 15 Eggplant Salad with Israeli Couscous and Basil Tender Israeli couscous is united with sautéed eggplant and shallots, then finished with fresh basil. This flavorful salad can be on the table in 25 minutes. View Recipe 07 of 15 Tuna Macaroni Salad Mike Krautter A deli crowd-pleaser since the '70s, tuna macaroni salad is a versatile side dish or a simple lunch. Our version amps up the flavors with jalapeño and tangy buttermilk and keeps well in the refrigerator, ready to satisfy when hunger strikes. View Recipe 08 of 15 Pasta Salad with Peas and Summer Beans Bryan Gardner Citrusy and cilantro-packed, this pasta salad pairs well with grilled chicken or tuna. And if you don't have cilantro, try it with mint, parsley, or a combination of fine herbs. View Recipe 09 of 15 Antipasti Pasta Salad Petrina Tinslay This pasta salad features the flavors of a traditional Italian antipasti platter, mixed with spiral-shaped pasta. Salami, mozzarella cheese, green olives, and jarred red peppers are called for, but feel free to add or substitute other ingredients, such as tuna, provolone, anchovies, artichoke hearts, capers, or marinated mushrooms. View Recipe 10 of 15 Marinated-Artichoke and Green-Bean Pasta Salad Ren Fuller For a fresh, light pasta salad, skip the mayonnaise and dress it with rich olive oil, artichoke brine, and lemon juice, instead. You can make the pasta salad up to four hours in advance and eat it chilled or at room temperature. View Recipe 11 of 15 Emeril's Macaroni Salad This elbow macaroni salad has everything: It gets its richness from crisp-cooked prosciutto and crumbled goat cheese while olives, capers, tomatoes, fresh parsley, and a mustard vinaigrette punch up the flavor. The assembled salad can be stored and refrigerated for up to one day. View Recipe 12 of 15 Pasta Salad with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Basil Con Poulos Just right for potlucks or picnics, this easygoing recipe can be served hot or at room temperature (and it travels well). Make the slow-roasted tomatoes head of time and the dish comes together in just 20 minutes. View Recipe 13 of 15 Three-Bean Pasta Salad A favorite for picnics since it's easy to transfer, this pasta salad is a satisfying choice for any meal thanks to canned pinto beans and chickpeas; the green beans bring crunch and color. You can use any small shell pasta for this recipe. View Recipe 14 of 15 Pasta, Arugula, and Mozzarella Salad Marcus Nilsson A lemon juice-olive oil dressing makes this pasta salad sing. It's a side that can also be a main, as there's mozzarella for protein, baby arugula for the vegetable contingent, and short pasta such as campanelle for heft. View Recipe 15 of 15 Tortellini Salad Mike Krautter Here's another make-ahead pasta salad recipe. You can refrigerate this dish for up to a day for optimal freshness. Hold off on tossing in the prosciutto crisps and arugula until just before serving to keep them crisp. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit