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A twist on the classic, this Italian Pasta Salad uses pantry staples for a refreshing side dish on those warm spring and summer nights. Bring it along for a picnic, or pair it with protein for a light dinner. It’s also easily customizable based off what you have on hand!
Italian Pantry Pasta Salad
Ready for the most delicious Italian Pasta Salad made with simple pantry staples? This dish is born out of the love of zesty Italian flavors and the desire to use up our stocked pantry shelves to make a quick side dish (or even dinner)! This pasta salad is zesty and full of flavor thanks to tangy additions like sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. It’s hearty enough to serve on it’s own, or you can pair it with a protein. It’s optionally dairy-free and made without any mayo!
Italian Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta
- Red Onion
- Canned White Bean
- Canned Artichokes
- Kalamata Olives
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Dried Oregano
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper
- Parmesan Cheese (totally optional)
- Parsley
Optional Additions
If you are looking to branch out from the pantry, there are many other additions that would be great with this pasta salad. Some of our favorites:
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Pepperoncini
- Salami
- Pepperoni
The Pasta Salad Dressing
This dressing couldn’t be simpler to make, simply add the oil and vinegar to a mason jar and shake it up! If you don’t have a mason jar, simply whisk it together in a bowl. The instructions call for adding just half of the dressing to the pasta salad at first. Cooked pasta has a tendency to soak up any liquid, so right before serving you will add some or all of the reserved salad dressing, to taste.
Proteins to Pair to Make it a Meal
This is the perfect side dish to pair with just about any grilled main dish, but it would also make a great summer dinner or lunch meal prep. Pair it with a protein to make it a but more substantial:
- Canned tuna
- Grilled or shredded chicken
- Hard boiled eggs
If you like this pasta salad, check out these others:
ITALIAN PASTA SALAD
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta we used gluten-free
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 1 15 ounce can white beans, drained
- 1 15 ounce can artichokes, drained and chopped
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives optional
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese optional
- Parsley finely minced
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Rinse well under cool water and drain.
- Meanwhile add olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper (to taste) to a mason jar. Close the lid and shake it up. Alternatively, whisk it together in a bowl.
- To a large bowl add the cooked pasta, onion, beans, artichokes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano parmesan cheese and parsley. Pour in half of the red wine vinegar dressing and toss together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When ready to serve, toss with additional dressing to taste.
- Pasta salad will keep for up to 2 days.
Notes
- We tested this with a few different types of gluten-free pasta. Brown rice pasta is slightly hard when cold, while other brands that containing white rice flour, corn flour or soy flour stayed soft when cold. We’d recommend if you want to use brown rice pasta not making it too far ahead of time to keep it the correct consistency.
Wow… with this delicious Italian pasta salad we already can feel the taste and aroma. Looking forward to having them on my dining table.