Featured Comment
From Maddie: “Literally EVERYONE loved this side. From kids to adults, this will be at all our family gatherings.”
From Lorette: “I made this last year for a bbq and everybody loved it. It is so good! I used the Jovial foods fusilli recommended here. My sister didn’t even know the pasta was gluten free until I told her. She loved it.“
Recipe Overview
⏱️ Time to Taste: 30 minutes (plus chilling, if desired)
✨ Texture: Tender gluten-free pasta with crisp vegetables, creamy mozzarella, and a light vinaigrette
🥣 Ease: Easy and customizable (feel free to switch up the mix-ins!)
🌾 Gluten-Free Pasta: Jovial Brown Rice Penne (or your favorite gluten-free pasta)
🎉 Best For: BBQs, potlucks, picnics, cookouts, meal prep, and summer gatherings
❤️ Why You’ll Love It: Zesty, fresh, and full of flavor, this easy gluten-free pasta salad is a crowd favorite that gets even better as it chills.
This gluten-free pasta salad is the perfect side dish for summer cookouts! It’s loaded with creamy mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and briny Kalamata olives, all tossed together in a zesty homemade dressing.
I love serving it all summer long alongside dishes like my gluten-free potato salad, cucumber tomato salad, and other easy BBQ sides that make regular appearances at our meals. It’s always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this pasta salad. Jump to the recipe for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free pasta: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta brand and shape. I really like Jovial Foods Gluten-Free Penne.
- Tomatoes: I like to use cherry tomatoes because they’re sweeter than other tomato varieties. Any kind of tomato will work though!
- Kalamata olives: I love the buttery taste of Kalamata olives, but you can use black olives, too.
- Parlsey: Fresh parsley is much more vibrant than dried parsley, and adds a beautiful touch of green to your pasta salad. You could add fresh basil or oregano, too!
- Red onion: Raw red onions can be overpowering when left in big chunks, but the thinly sliced bits add the perfect touch of flavor!
- White wine vinegar: It has a mellower, softer taste than other vinegars. It adds a tangy taste to the vinaigrette that I love!
- Olive oil: Its distinct taste pair nicely with the white wine vinegar and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Pepperoncini liquid: This is totally optional, but I definitely recommend it! It adds a delicious punch to the vinaigrette that I just can’t get enough of.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pasta Salad
Here’s an overview of how to make this pasta salad. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Make the Vinaigrette: I like to throw all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar so I can just shake it up for easy mixing.
Prep the Ingredients: After I’ve cut up all of the ingredients and cooked the pasta until well-done, I toss them all in one large bowl.
Add the Vinaigrette: Shake the dressing right before adding it to the pasta salad. I usually only use 3/4 and save the rest to freshen up any leftovers later.
Toss & Refrigerate: Toss the pasta salad to incorporate the vinaigrette evenly. I add a little salt and pepper to taste at this point too. Keep it cold until ready to serve!
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Make-Ahead: Pasta salad is one of my favorite things to make ahead and pack for trips or summer gatherings. You can prepare it several hours, or even a day, in advance and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve. I like to save about 1/4 of the dressing to toss with the pasta right before serving for the freshest flavor.
- To Store: This pasta salad will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep the extra vinaigrette in a separate container to refresh the leftovers.
- To Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this pasta salad. The vegetables will lose their texture and the gluten-free pasta will become mushy when thawed.
What Does This Pasta Salad Taste Like?
This gluten-free pasta salad is bright, crisp, and packed with bold Italian flavors. Creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, savory salami, buttery Kalamata olives, and tangy pepperoncini are tossed in a zesty homemade vinaigrette for the perfect balance of salty, tangy, and fresh.
Can I Use Store-Bought Italian Dressing?
Some bottled Italian dressings are gluten-free, but not all brands are. You can definitely use your favorite store-bought gluten-free vinaigrette, if you prefer. I love making my own homemade dressing for the best flavor. It’s easy and 100% gluten-free!
Can This Pasta Salad Be Made Dairy-Free?
Yes! Just leave out the mozzarella cheese balls and you’ll have a delicious dairy-free pasta salad. My coleslaw recipe is another gluten-free, dairy-free side dish everyone loves!
Gluten-Free Pasta Salad Tricks
- Add protein: Add a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or grilled chicken!
- Variations: Feel free to switch it up by adding artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, other cold cuts, green onions, fresh basil, etc. You can even add Greek yogurt or mayo to the dressing to make a creamy version.
- Cooking the pasta: Gluten-free pasta will become harder as it cools, so make sure it is well-cooked, rather than al dente. You can add a bit of the dressing to the pasta after you drain it to help absorb the flavor and keep the pasta from getting dry and sticky (or simply toss in a bit of olive oil.) Do not rinse the pasta after draining!
- Warm or chilled: You can serve this pasta right away as a warm or room-temperature dish, or put it in the fridge for a few hours and serve chilled. It tastes great either way!
More Gluten-Free Summer Sides
Gluten-Free Italian Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad:
- 12 oz gluten-free pasta, cooked
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz small mozzarella cheese balls, halved
- 8 oz salami or summer sausage, cubed
- 3/4 cup kalamata olives
- 3/4 cup pepperoncini
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the Italian Vinaigrette:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncini liquid, optional but delicious!
Instructions
- In a small jar or bowl, whisk or shake together the ingredients for the Italian vinaigrette.
- Add the ingredients for the pasta salad to a large bowl.
- Give the vinaigrette a good shake and toss the pasta salad with 3/4 of the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. This salad will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Keep the extra vinaigrette to refresh the pasta salad. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in May 2019. It was updated with new photos and instructions in July 2026.
My trick for pasta salad is to make the dressing & put it in a big bowl. Then as I’m cutting or prepping ingredients I throw them in the bowl and mix them with the dressing. It always seems more flavorful when I do it this way. Each piece gets plenty of dressing because otherwise the pasta soaks it all up.
Thanks for the overcooking the pasta tip!!! Finally a GF pasta salad that doesn’t taste like cardboard lol!!
Thank you for the kind feedback, Kristine! We’re so glad the overcooking tip made such a difference and that you enjoyed the pasta salad. It’s always fun to hear the ways readers adjust the recipes to work for them. Thank you for sharing with us!
I used chickpea pasta for extra protein and fiber for the salad. It was delish.
We love to hear this, Twila! We’re so pleased you enjoyed the pasta salad. It’s great to hear the chickpea pasta worked well. Thanks for sharing!
Terrific recipe and it was delicious the day I made it. I put it in the refrigerator to chill it and to serve it the next day. (I used Jovial organic brown rice Fusilli gluten free pasta) The pasta was too hard, even after sitting out. I also put extra dressing on it to freshen it as you suggested. Next time I will try the Penne pasta.
Hi Joni, we’re pleased you enjoyed the pasta salad fresh, but we’re sorry it wasn’t as enjoyable the next day. We definitely recommend trying it with the Jovial GF penne pasta. We hope your next batch goes much better!
Finally! The best tip is to overcook the pasta for the salad. For years I undercooked the pasta because that’s how I always made pasta salad before becoming a Celiac. About 5 years ago I thought I may as well try overcooking it because it always hardened up. It worked!!! Great recipe thank you!
Hi Veronika, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this last year for a bbq and everybody loved it. It is so good! I used the Jovial foods fusilli recommended here. My sister didn’t even know the pasta was gluten free until I told her. She loved it.
Yay! We’re so glad to hear the pasta salad was a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
Haha, I read in the comments that it’s recommended to eat this right away, maybe a day later tops. Not my experience — this stuff holds up for like 5 days. Great recipe. Thank you!
That’s great to know! Glad it keeps longer for you 🙂
Do overcook the pasta or undercook or al dente?
Most people complain about gluten free pasta turning mushy after being refrigerated. I have the opposite problem. Mine always turns hard no matter what brand I use. Do you perchance have a solution to keep this from happening? I’d love to try your recipe but tired of failure, Thanks, Linda
I love the brand Jovial Foods! It’s the best gluten-free pasta for this salad and holds up great in the fridge. I hope this helps!
Why will it keep for just one day in fridge?
It’s best a few hours after it’s mixed together – but one day should be fine!