Elevate your next potluck or picnic with this fresh and flavorful gluten free Italian pasta salad! Ready in just over 30 minutes, it’s tossed with a zesty homemade Italian dressing (without mayo!), crisp veggies, sturdy chickpeas, fragrant herbs, parmesan cheese, briny olives and pepperoncini, and savory sliced salami. Every bite is bright, tangy, crunchy, and packed with classic Italian-inspired flavor. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish that’s perfect for summer BBQs, picnics, and warm-weather gatherings, with simple vegetarian and dairy-free options included in the recipe.
An irresistible Italian pasta salad
There is something about a really good pasta salad that embodies summer like nothing else. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s portable, easy to make ahead of time, and best enjoyed cold, or maybe it’s that it reminds us to make the most of the season by getting outside to have some fun!
And with all the fresh ingredients it always hits the spot when the sun is out and tummies are grumbling.
We love how customizable it is based on what you have on hand or enjoy, so feel free take this recipe as a starting point and add or subtract ingredients as you like.
The homemade Italian dressing though?! That’s a must in my book – trust me, it’s so easy and so zippy you’ll be hooked too once you try it!
Love a cold salad on hot days? Don’t miss our recipes for Lemony Chickpea and Feta Salad, Dairy-Free Dill Pickle Potato Salad with a Creamy Dill Dressing, THE Caesar Salad We’re Obsessed With, and our Creamy Deviled Egg Salad!
Ingredient notes & why they work
The pasta
Almost any type of short pasta will work well for this pasta salad. Our favorite is this gluten free fusilli (also called rotini), but penne or farfelle are also great options. The nooks and crannies of these types of pastas help it hold onto the dressing, and integrate nicely with the other recipe ingredients!
Red onion
Finely diced red onion adds the perfect zippy bite. Can be substituted with thinly sliced green onions or you an omit all together if you don’t love onions.
Pepperoncinni peppers
Look for pre-sliced pepperoncinni peppers at the store to save a little prep time.
Parsley
Lots and lots of fresh parsley pulls in some lovely green, herbaceous flavor. Dill would also be great, although I’d either use it plus parsley, or reduce the quantity to 1/4 cup.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas add a hearty bite and make the salad more substantial. Drain and rinse canned chickpeas before adding them.
Salami
While totally optional, salami is good for a little smoky flavor. Pepperoni is another great cured meat option, but both can be left our for a vegetarian version of this recipe.
Parmesan cheese
Grated parmesan adds umami flavor that coats every noodle. Leave out or substitute with a plant based parm for a dairy free option.
Optional add ins
- Cooked chicken or shrimp
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Thinly sliced fennel
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Feta cheese
- Mini mozzarella balls
How to make this pasta salad
My top tips for making the best pasta salad
- Salt your cooking water. It’s always a good idea to salt your pasta water to give the plain pasta a head start on building flavor.
- Plan the order you prep ingredients in. While the pasta is cooling, I like to use this time to finish chopping / prepping any remaining ingredients to maximize efficiency!
- Season generously. Using the boldly seasoned homemade Italian dressing is a great start to super flavorful pasta salad, but don’t be afraid to season generously with salt and pepper after the salad is dressed to your taste.
If you enjoyed this pasta salad I’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place for questions, and super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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No-Mayo Gluten Free Italian Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Elevate your next potluck or picnic with this fresh and flavorful gluten free Italian pasta salad! Ready in just over 30 minutes, it’s tossed with a zesty homemade Italian dressing (without mayo!), crisp veggies, sturdy chickpeas, fragrant herbs, parmesan cheese, briny olives and pepperoncini, and savory sliced salami. Every bite is bright, tangy, crunchy, and packed with classic Italian-inspired flavor. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish that’s perfect for summer BBQs, picnics, and warm-weather gatherings, with simple vegetarian and dairy-free options included in the recipe.
Ingredients
- For the Pasta Salad
- 1 12 ounce box GF pasta
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup olives
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced pepperoncini peppers
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup sliced salami or pepperoni
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, more or less to taste (optional)
- For the Italian Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a medium sized bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Drain well, do not rinse. Transfer still warm pasta to a large bowl and toss with about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Move to the refrigerator to chill while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Assemble pasta salad. When pasta has cooled, toss together with drained chickpeas, olives, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, pepperoncini peppers, bell pepper, parsley, salami, parmesan cheese (reserve some to garnish), and remaining dressing.
- Season and store. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. Because gluten free pasta can be a little firm straight out of the refrigerator, allow it to sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before digging in for the best texture .
- Serve and enjoy! Top with extra parmesan, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
To make a vegetarian version, simply omit the salami or pepperoni. And to make it vegan the only additional change you’ll want to make is to either leave out the parmesan or choose a plant-based parmesan cheese instead, and use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
This pasta salad should keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, although the texture of the veggies will be best in the first 1-2 days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Cold
- Cuisine: Italian
BC says
Made this last night. Made some changes, added turkey pepperoni, and crispy turkey bacon. Ised black and green olives. And doubled the honey.
Love God and all your recipes.
Nyssa Tanner says
My goodness that sounds delicious! I’ll have to try some of those additions myself the next time we make this. Thank you for your thoughtful review, and happy cooking! – Nyssa