Dairy Free Italian Pasta Salad
This easy and colorful dairy free Italian pasta salad is a summertime rockstar! Simple and delicious, it’s packed with fresh veggies, herbs, salty olives, salami and a tangy homemade Italian dressing. Tossed with your favorite pasta, it will be a hit at BBQs, potlucks and summer gatherings of any kind. Gluten free option included.
With BBQ and picnic season upon us, it’s high time we talk about a quintessential summer side.
In the form of this dreamy dairy free Italian pasta salad!
Packed to the brim with all sorts of goodness, this super easy side dish is ready to serve all summer long.
And lemme tell you, it’s hard not to love.
We have cherry tomatoes. Crunchy bell pepper. Salty olives. Spicy pepperoncini. Fresh parsley. Red onion. Salami.
All tossed together with your favorite pasta + a tangy, delicious, homemade Italian dressing.
And you definitely don’t need a special occasion to make this dish.
Whip it up to go with your grilling favorites and then devour all the leftovers for lunch. ♡
Dream scenario right there.
How To Make
So, let’s quickly talk about how this dish goes down:
Cook pasta. First up, we’ll boil some pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse well with cold water.
Combine with mix-ins. We’ll add the pasta to an extra large bowl, along with lots of veggies, herbs and salami.
Whisk dressing. Next, we’ll quickly mix together a simple dressing made with olive oil, vinegar and garlic.
Toss everything together. Finally, it all gets mixed together until nice and combined.
You can enjoy right away OR let it chill out in the fridge before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Let’s chat about how to prep this dish. Get the pasta going and then while it’s cooking slice / chop up all your other ingredients. This will cut down on the overall recipe time by about 15 minutes.
- Both the olives and pepperoncini that I use come pre-sliced. Your prep time will be slightly longer if yours are not.
- Feel free to adjust ANYTHING in this salad to your taste. Personally, I like to throw in some extra pepperoncini for more of that spicy, crunchy kick, but you do you!
How To Store
Fridge: The assembled pasta salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
You can serve either cold or at room temperature (I like to let the chill come off slightly, but that’s just me).
Additional Dairy Free Side Dish Recipes:
- Dairy Free Potato Salad
- Dairy Free Coleslaw (No Mayo)
- Dairy Free Macaroni Salad
- Dairy Free Broccoli Salad
- Mexican Bean Salad
- Zucchini and Corn Orzo Salad
- Roasted Three Bean Salad
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Dairy Free Italian Pasta Salad
This easy and colorful dairy free Italian pasta salad is a summertime rockstar! Simple and delicious, it’s packed with fresh veggies, herbs, salty olives, salami and a tangy homemade Italian dressing. Gluten free option included.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 pound uncooked rotini or fusilli pasta*
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup sliced kalamata olives
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers**
- ¼ cup chopped or sliced pepperoncini
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 8 ounces dairy free salami, halved or quartered***
For the dressing:
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the salad:
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain, rinse well with cold water and add to an extra-large bowl.
- To the bowl, add the tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, red onion, roasted peppers, pepperoncini, parsley and salami.
For the dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until smooth.
- Pour into the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine (I add all the dressing but you can add less if desired). Taste and season with additional salt / pepper if needed.
- Serve immediately or let chill in the fridge before enjoying.
Notes
*To keep this gluten free - use a gluten free pasta of choice.
**Pull out a few peppers from the jar, pat with a paper towel, then chop.
***Be sure to read the ingredients on your salami to keep this dairy and gluten free (as many brands do use both in their meat). I personally use Applegate’s salami, which at the time of writing is both dairy and gluten free.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 576mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
This is my FAVORITE DF pasta salad! I’ve made it several times and my soon to be mother-in-law has asked me to bring it to family gatherings more than once! It is easy to make too! Highly recommend this!!
I’m SO happy to hear this! Thank you for taking the time to let me know Claire 🙂
Can I make this salad the day before I eat it or do you suggest the day of?
Hey Anne – yes, you can definitely make it the day before. I like to let the chill come off slightly before enjoying (but it’s also great cold!).
What a beautiful pasta salad! Love the flavor combinations.
Thanks Kristen!
So colourful, summery and packed full of flavours! Perfect!
Thank you! 🙂