Meaningful Eats
Gluten-Free Italian Pasta Salad
8 servings
This is my family's favorite pasta salad! Loaded with crunchy veggies, cheese, pepperoni and tossed together with a zesty homemade dressing. It's the perfect make-ahead side dish for BBQs, potlucks, picnics, and summer cookouts!
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!
Video
Notes
Gluten-Free: I love Jovial Foods Brown Rice Penne! It holds up well compared to other gluten-free noodles.
Dairy-Free: Just leave out the mozzarella to easily make this dish dairy-free.
Nut-Free: This recipe is naturally nut-free.
To Make-Ahead: I love making this pasta salad in advance. You can make it up to 1 day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Reserve 1/4 of the dressing to toss in the pasta right before serving to freshen it up.
To Store: Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you still have some of the extra vinaigrette left, you can mix it in right before serving the leftovers.
To Freeze: This recipe does not freeze well. The vegetable and gluten-free noodles will lose their texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 619kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 1740mg | Potassium: 274mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 593IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 2mg