Delish Recipes Pasta Salad

Is it even a proper BBQ, cookout, or picnic if someone doesn’t bring pasta salad? We don’t think so. Why not have it be you? Whether you’re looking for a classic you can make over and over, or trying to change things up with new and exciting flavors, we’ve got a recipe for you. Check out our list of 50 pasta salad recipes for ideas—you’ll never come to a BBQ empty-handed again!

Looking for the ULTIMATE pasta salad recipe? Look no further than our macaroni salad. It’s got a simple mayo- and vinegar-based dressing, and is full of classic ingredients like chopped celery, black olives, red peppers, and carrots. Once you’ve got that one down, branch out with everything from basic to wilder additional ingredients. Want to add some protein? Try our simple chicken pasta salad, our BLT pasta salad, or our tuna macaroni salad. Want extra fresh produce in there? Try our vegan super green pasta salad, our Greek pasta salad, or our strawberry balsamic pasta salad. Looking for something that’ll hit that pasta salad spot, but are feeling kind of over mayonnaise and macaroni? Try changing up your noodles or sauce, like in our Korean japchae (glass noodles), our tuscan tortellini salad, or our ramen noodle salad (we turn crunchy ramen and its flavor packet into something totally different). You could even skip the noodles all together, like in our caprese zoodle salad or green papaya salad—we bet you won’t even miss the carbs.

Hearty enough to qualify as a meal. Swapping in a tangy mustard vinaigrette for the usual mayo-based dressing lightens things up a bit, and a healthy serving of seared chicken and crispy bacon make it satisfying enough to be a meal all on its own.

Cherry Caprese Pasta Salad

This salad is the epitome of summer in a bowl. We love using orecchiette pasta here to soak up the simple extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, but you can use whatever pasta shape you like!

This pasta salad is a classic, featuring a homemade basil-and-pine nut pesto, a generous amount of Parmesan, and juicy grape tomatoes. It's worth getting out your nicest olive oil for this recipe since the flavor will shine through.

Macaroni salad works well with most anything you want to add in. We love adding broccoli, pimento peppers, tuna, hard boiled eggs, and bacon!

Taco Pasta Salad Recipe

Asking for the recipe. It's got just the right amount of heat, thanks to a Cajun-seasoned mayonnaise-based dressing you're going to love.

It’s not so hard to eat your greens when they come in pasta salad form. Sweet baby spinach is great here, but peppery arugula or tender baby kale would work well too.

Save yourself some time and make this simple Italian dressing ahead of time! Mix it together and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve your pasta—the flavors will meld and taste better that way too.

Best Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe

If you fancy tuna salad and macaroni salad, the only logical thing to do is bring the two together in a generous serving of spicy tuna mac. This recipe calls for quick-pickling red onion, shredded carrots, and chopped pickles while the pasta cooks so you get nicely tart and crunchy elements in every bite.

These noods get coated in a spicy-sweet mayo-based dressing that can honestly go on anything. The heat of fresh ginger, garlic, and Sriracha is tamed by the mayo and a touch of sugar; the creaminess of the mayo is in turn nicely balanced out by the tart rice vinegar and lime zest. Yum!

A little sweet, a little savory, this pasta salad will stand out among a sea of macaroni salads. The tangy-sweet glaze is

Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe

This simple salad is one of our favorite ways to enjoy zucchini noodles, or zoodles. It takes notes from our favorite caprese salad and celebrates all the best fresh produce of summer, without the carbs!

This ingenious salad uses uncooked ramen noodles (plus their flavor packet) as croutons. If you're making for a picnic or BBQ, toast the noodles and marinate the cabbage and carrots ahead of time, and then toss everything together before you head out.

Is a simple dish made with transparent glass noodles and an assortment of toppings. We went with a colorful bunch here: punchy yellow strips of egg, purplish red onions, orange carrots, forest green spinach, and caramelized bites of marinated beef, but feel free to make substitutions.

Vegan Pasta Salad Recipe: Easy, Quick, And Healthy

This easy tortellini salad is ALWAYS a fave at picnics. Feel free to swap the sun-dried tomatoes here for fresh cherry tomatoes, use kale instead of spinach or bacon instead of salami, or replace the Parmesan with Pecorino or mozzarella.

On the most hectic days of our hectic lives, it's best to go simple. For these sesame noodles, you can use any noodle in a pinch, and the nutty dressing comes together in under 10 minutes. You'll spend more time slicing some refreshing cucumbers than you will actually cooking!

We knew noodles were the only thing missing from a Caesar salad! We like penne, but use whatever pasta shape you like.

Mexican Chef Pasta Salad

A pasta salad, but why should zucchini get all the glory for replacing noodles? When picking your papaya for this salad, just make sure you’re choosing a green fruit. At its unripened stage, it is crunchy and a refreshingly blank canvas flavor-wise that is perfect for this sweet and spicy salad.

A classic in diners and on dinner tables, Greek salads are filled with Mediterranean produce and flavors. Briny olives meet sweet tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, and a sprinkling of feta cheese, making for a truly filling and delicious meal of its own. The only way to improve it? Turn it into pasta salad!

This kicked up pasta salad with a zesty Greek yogurt dressing is full of all your favorite taco fixings, including taco seasoning, cilantro, cheddar cheese, avocado, black beans, and corn. It's super easy to mix up ahead of time, too.

Summertime Chicken Pasta Salad With Nectarines & Squash

Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at , otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.

44 Irresistible Summer Pie Recipes 25 Easy Summer Blackberry Recipes 30 Fourth Of July Side Dishes 21 Creamy, Dreamy Ice Cream Cake RecipesThe classic macaroni salad is a must-make every year. We can't imagine summer without it! This is our tried and true version, the one we always hope for leftovers the next day. If you're looking for endless variations on pasta salad we have plentyyy of fun recipes for you to try!  Can I make macaroni salad ahead of time? 

Macaroni salad is a great dish to prep ahead of time. To keep the macaroni from absorbing all of the dressing we recommend not tossing everything together until about an hour or so before. The drier your pasta is, the less it will absorb so make sure your macaroni is drained very well first. 

Blt Pasta Salad {with Homemade Dressing!}

If you want to cook the macaroni more than an hour before toss it with a little olive oil after draining. If it starts sticking together you can run it under warm water to break it up! 

Honestly, any type of short pasta shape works great with macaroni salad. Penne and fusilli are among our favorites, but use up the type of pasta you have on hand to make it extra simple!  

Overcooked pasta is the main culprit in a soggy pasta salad. Keep a close eye on it as it cooks. Tossing the dressing with wet pasta can also lead to water-logged pasta salad. Be sure to drain the noodles well before tossing.

Best Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

Pasta will absorb whatever flavor you add to it so the sky's the limit in terms of flavor combos. The most important thing to remember is salt! Seasoning the pasta water and the pasta itself with a pinch of kosher salt after it's cooked will guarantee flavor in each bite

You bet! Macaroni salad works well with almost anything you want to add in. We love adding broccoli, pimento peppers, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, and bacon! 

Here comes the fun part! Macaroni salad goes great with any grilled. We always serve it alongside our classic burger and grilled pork chops! How long does pasta salad last in the fridge?

Moroccan Pasta Salad

Pasta salad will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an air-tight container. We don't recommend freezing this because it has mayonnaise. Freezing and thawing will change the texture of the pasta salad.

Lena Abraham is a freelance contributor with , and was formerly Senior Food Editor, where she developed and styled recipes for video and photo, and also stayed on top of current food trends. She’s been working in the food industry for over 10 years, and will argue that the best fish tacos in the world are made in New York. Don’t @ her.