This Healthy Italian Pasta Salad is flavorful, packed with fresh veggies, and protein-rich. It’s made with a homemade Italian dressing, so it’s healthier than creamy, mayo-based recipes. Served cold, this delicious and easy pasta salad recipe is perfect for summer BBQs, gatherings, and picnics.
This delicious, healthy Italian pasta salad will help keep you full all day long, as it’s packed with protein-rich ingredients like garbanzo beans, protein pasta, fresh mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni. With an array of textures from various fresh veggies, cooked pasta, and other add-ins, this healthy pasta salad is the perfect warm-weather offering. It’s easy to double or triple this Italian pasta salad recipe, making it the perfect side dish for gatherings.
If you’re craving more Italian-inspired salads, try my Easy Pesto Orzo Salad this week!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Full of protein – This healthy Italian pasta salad includes four protein sources to help you stay full for longer.
- Flavorful – With a delicious pesto vinaigrette and ingredients like turkey pepperoni, red onion, and mozzarella, expect fresh, delicious flavors in every bite.
- Mayo-free – This is my take on a classic Italian pasta salad, which does not include mayo to help keep it lighter.
- Homemade dressing – The pesto pasta salad dressing is utterly delicious and only requires a few ingredients.
- Tons of veggies – This pasta salad is full of protein and has a good amount of fiber from the various vegetables included, such as cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.
- Customizable – The best part about this pasta salad recipe is that you can customize it to your tastes. For example, you can swap out the lemon juice for a red wine vinegar for a more complex flavor.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pasta: Any short pasta, like fusilli or rotini pasta, will work for this healthy Italian pasta salad. I like using Barilla Protein+ Pasta because it adds protein to the recipe. However, any short noodle will work from any brand.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Healthy Italian Pasta Salad
Quick Overview
- Boil pasta.
- Create dressing.
- Combine ingredients.
Step by Step Instructions
Always add salt to pasta water to increase the flavor of the noodles.
Be sure to let the healthy Italian pasta salad chill for at least two hours for the best flavor.
Step 1: Bring a pot of water salted with about 1 Tablespoon of Morton kosher salt to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the shortest time recommended on the package. Strain and rinse well with cold water. Add a few ice cubes to rapidly cool the pasta. Set aside and allow any excess water to drain.
Step 2: In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the pesto, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the chilled pasta, garbanzo beans, mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, and pesto vinaigrette. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If time allows, let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish this healthy Italian pasta salad with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, pine nuts, or fresh herbs like basil and oregano. I love serving this healthy Italian pasta salad without mayo alongside Italian mains. Here are a few ideas:
- Italian Baked Zucchini with Tomato Sauce & Cheese
- Easy Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Italian Sausage Soup with Orzo & Kale
Expert Tips
- Salt the pasta water. Like with other cold pasta salad recipes, salting the pasta water will yield the tastiest results. This step adds flavor to the pasta and helps prevent it from sticking together as it cooks.
- Do not overcook the pasta. This healthy Italian pasta salad is best when the noodles are cooked until al dente, as that helps them keep their form as they sit in the fridge. If you use fully cooked noodles, they’ll turn into mush as the salad sits.
- Use good quality pesto. Since the seasoning for this cold pasta salad recipe is so simple, it’s essential to use high-quality ingredients. You’ll notice a difference in the flavor if you use lower-quality ingredients.
- Use fresh lemon juice. Adding fresh lemon juice to this pasta salad helps create a fresher, brighter flavor than bottled lemon juice. Using fresh lemon juice also means you can zest the lemon, which creates a bolder citrusy taste in the recipe.
- Be sure to drain the chickpeas and the pasta well. If you don’t properly drain the rotini pasta water and the chickpeas, the recipe will be too liquidy. This can cause the pesto to slip off the other pasta salad ingredients.
- Let rest before serving. Let this classic pasta salad recipe rest in the fridge for at least two hours for the best results. This will allow the flavors to mingle, creating an even more flavorful dish. You can also make this the night before and serve it the next day, allowing even more time for the flavors to mingle in the fridge.
Additions & Variations
- Swap out the cheese. Instead of mozzarella balls, feel free to use mozzarella slices or even mini burrata cheese balls. You can also use shaved parmesan cheese pieces or feta cheese.
- Use other meat. Instead of turkey pepperoni, you can use salami, ham, bacon, etc. As a note, these will change the flavor of the pasta salad slightly.
- Try other veggies. If you don’t enjoy the veggies noted in the recipe card, feel free to use green onions, kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, or other crunchy vegetables you enjoy.
- Make it vegetarian. This healthy Italian pasta salad is easily turned into a vegetarian pasta salad. Simply skip the turkey pepperoni. The remaining ingredients are naturally vegetarian.
Recipe FAQs
The exact ingredients for pasta salads will vary quite a bit. However, you can typically expect pasta salad with cooked pasta, fresh veggies, cheese, meat, and a dressing.
I recommend rinsing the noodles when creating a cold pasta salad, as it helps keep them from sticking together. Just be sure to dry the noodles well before adding them to the healthy Italian pasta salad.
Since the recipe includes pesto, which normally has olive oil, you shouldn’t have to worry about the pasta salad drying out. If you do notice it starts to dry out in the fridge, you can drizzle some extra virgin olive oil or add a small amount of pesto to help prevent it from drying out further.
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Healthy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta, like Barilla Protein+ Pasta*
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed well
- 8 ounces mini mozzarella balls
- 3 ounces turkey pepperoni, chopped
- 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- Pesto Vinaigrette
- 2/3 cup basil pesto
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water salted with about 1 Tablespoon of Morton kosher salt to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the shortest time recommended on the package. Strain and rinse well with cold water. Add a few ice cubes to rapidly cool the pasta. Set aside and allow any excess water to drain.8 ounces rotini pasta, like Barilla Protein+ Pasta*
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the pesto, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.2/3 cup basil pesto, zest of 2 lemons, 1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- In a large bowl, combine the chilled pasta, garbanzo beans, mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, and pesto vinaigrette. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If time allows, let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed well, 8 ounces mini mozzarella balls, 3 ounces turkey pepperoni, chopped, 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, 1 cup chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup finely diced red onion, 1 bell pepper, diced, Pesto Vinaigrette
Notes
- Pasta: Any short pasta, like fusilli or rotini pasta, will work for this healthy Italian pasta salad. I like using Barilla Protein+ Pasta because it adds protein to the recipe. However, any short noodle will work from any brand.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Salt the pasta water. Like with other cold pasta salad recipes, salting the pasta water will yield the tastiest results. This step adds flavor to the pasta and helps prevent it from sticking together as it cooks.
- Do not overcook the pasta. This healthy Italian pasta salad is best when the noodles are cooked until al dente, as that helps them keep their form as they sit in the fridge. If you use fully cooked noodles, they’ll turn into mush as the salad sits.
- Use good quality pesto. Since the seasoning for this cold pasta salad recipe is so simple, it’s essential to use high-quality ingredients. You’ll notice a difference in the flavor if you use lower-quality ingredients.
- Use fresh lemon juice. Adding fresh lemon juice to this pasta salad helps create a fresher, brighter flavor than bottled lemon juice. Using fresh lemon juice also means you can zest the lemon, which creates a bolder citrusy taste in the recipe.
- Be sure to drain the chickpeas and the pasta well. If you don’t properly drain the rotini pasta water and the chickpeas, the recipe will be too liquidy. This can cause the pesto to slip off the other pasta salad ingredients.
- Let rest before serving. Let this classic pasta salad recipe rest in the fridge for at least two hours for the best results. This will allow the flavors to mingle, creating an even more flavorful dish. You can also make this the night before and serve it the next day, allowing even more time for the flavors to mingle in the fridge.
- Swap out the cheese. Instead of mozzarella balls, feel free to use mozzarella slices or even mini burrata cheese balls. You can also use shaved parmesan cheese pieces or feta cheese.
- Use other meat. Instead of turkey pepperoni, you can use salami, ham, bacon, etc. As a note, these will change the flavor of the pasta salad slightly.
- Try other veggies. If you don’t enjoy the veggies noted in the recipe card, feel free to use green onions, kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, or other crunchy vegetables you enjoy.
- Make it vegetarian. This healthy Italian pasta salad is easily turned into a vegetarian pasta salad. Simply skip the turkey pepperoni. The remaining ingredients are naturally vegetarian.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
