4 Pasta Salad Recipes

After months of being bundled up in the house, warm days filled with sunshine are finally here! It’s time to get together with the ones we love, have a BBQ, and catch up on life. The question now is, what to bring? Do you make something sweet and bake some brownies? Do you take the healthy road and make a veggie platter with hummus? Maybe cut up some fresh fruit and throw together a fruit salad. With so many options to possibly bring, it can be easy to make the same thing over and over again. However, doing this makes you an expert with your dish, easily making it a fan favorite. The proof is when it starts being requested by friends and family members. For me, those are my pasta salad recipes.

With having so many dietary restrictions, I needed to make sure I had something I knew was safe to eat. So, I always just made a pasta salad. My family started trying them and absolutely loved them!! They have now become a staple when we all get together, and I definitely get an earful when I don’t bring a batch. So, if you’re looking to try some new recipes and introduce a new family favorite, your search is over!

Below are 4 pasta salad recipes that I have collected over the years for you all to enjoy:

Elevated Caesar Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 Head Romaine Lettuce
• Turkey Bacon (regular bacon if desired)
• Grape Tomatoes
• Gluten Free Penne (Regular Penne if desired)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese (entire bag)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 cup Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar Dressing
• 1/4 cup Newman’s Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in the oven according to directions. Set aside to cool.
2. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. Wash and dry lettuce. Chop lettuce.
4. Cut the bacon into squares.
5. Cut grape tomatoes in half.
6. Combine pasta, lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, and all cheeses in a large bowl.
7. Measure out your dressings and spices and combine them all in a small bowl. Stir until blended together.
8. Pour dressing over all other combined ingredients. Mix until everything is covered. refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours before serving.

Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• Cucumber
• Grape Tomatoes
• 1 can of sliced olives
• 1 container of feta cheese
•  1/2 purple onion
• Ken’s Greek Dressing
• salt and pepper to taste
• Gluten Free pasta (Regular, if desired. I use elbows)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Slice cucumbers, chop the onion, cut the tomatoes in half, drain and rinse the olives.
3. Combine pasta, cucumber slices, chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, and feta in a large bowl. Cover with at least half the bottle of dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sit, cover, and refrigerate.
4. Let it sit overnight. In the morning, take it out of the fridge, stir, and add more dressing as you see fit. It will dry out overnight, so make sure you save the second half of the bottle for the following day.

Mom’s Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cans of tuna in water
• 1 small white onion (optional)
• 3-4 celery stalks
• celery salt
• pepper
• Gluten Free elbow pasta (Regular if desired)
• Mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s Plant-Based Mayo)
• 6 hard-boiled eggs (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil pasta according to directions. Set aside to cool.
2. Boil eggs. Let cool. Peel and chop if you decide to add them.
3. Chop celery on the thinner side. Chop the onion if adding one.
4. Drain the tuna.
5. Combine ingredients, add celery salt and pepper to taste. When adding the mayo, do a few scoops, then mix. Add more as you see fit.
6. Cover and let sit overnight.
7. Stir in the morning and add more mayo, salt, and pepper if needed.

Auntie Michell’s Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 Large Tomato
• 1 bag of cheddar cheese
• 1 Green pepper
• 1 Can of Kidney beans
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Tortilla Chips
• Kraft Classic Catalina Dressing

Directions:

1. In a frying pan, brown your beef. Drain and set aside.
2. Drain and rinse kidney beans.
3. Chop tomato, onion, and green pepper.
4. Wash and chop lettuce
5. Combine beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and lettuce in a large bowl.
6. Crumble up as many tortilla chips as you want in the bowl of ingredients.
7. Add the entire bag of cheddar cheese
8. Cover with the whole bottle of dressing
9. Mix and enjoy!

Let us know if you end up trying any of these pasta salad recipes. I’d love to get your feedback on them. And if you have any pasta salad recipes of your own, please feel free to share. I’d love to try some of yours!