Salads

Easy Pasta Salad

By Samira Kazan

published September 24, 2025

This easy pasta salad is nutrition packed, full of color and crunch, and comes together in just 25 minutes. It’s perfect for busy days, meal prep, or last-minute lunches.

With a simple lemon-garlic dressing, hearty beans, feta cheese, and a mix of chopped veggies, this salad is fresh, filling, and flexible. And like most good things, it tastes even better after a little time in the fridge.

If you enjoy recipes like this, you might also love my quinoa salad or this Middle Eastern chickpea salad — both are nutritious and meal-prep-friendly.

• What you’ll need
• How to make pasta salad
• Alphafoodie tips
• FAQs
• More nutrition-packed salad recipes
• Easy pasta salad Recipe

What you’ll need

This recipe keeps things simple with easy-to-find ingredients — but still gives you a salad that’s colorful, satisfying, and full of texture. Here’s what goes in:

• Pasta : I like fusilli or rotini for this. The spirals catch the dressing and bits of veggies beautifully. You can use whole wheat or gluten-free pasta too.
• Red bell pepper : For sweet crunch and color. You can use orange or yellow if that’s what you have.
• Cucumber : I usually go for large English cucumber (no peeling needed), but any kind works. Adds refreshing crunch.
• Red onion : Finely diced for bite and color. If it’s too strong for your taste, a quick soak in cold water helps mellow it out.
• Cherry tomatoes : Juicy and sweet. Grape tomatoes also work well — just halve them.
• Cooked red beans : I used pinto beans, but cannellini, chickpeas, or even kidney beans work well too. Adds protein and heartiness.
• Black olives : For a salty, briny contrast. You can slice them or leave them halved.
• Feta cheese : I love the creaminess and tang. Cube it or crumble, depending on texture preference.
• Arugula : Just a handful adds a peppery, fresh layer. You can swap it with baby spinach if you prefer something milder.
• Dressing ( olive oil, lemon, mustard, garlic, oregano, pepper, and salt ): This simple lemon-garlic vinaigrette ties everything together. It’s zesty, sharp, and coats every bite without being heavy.

See printable recipe card below for the full ingredients list and quantities.

How to make pasta salad

Cook the pasta

Start by cooking the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just tender. I like to use the higher end of the time range on the package so it stays soft even when chilled. Once it’s done, drain and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down quickly. If you’re not tossing it with the dressing right away, add a small drizzle of olive oil and toss gently — this helps prevent it from sticking together. (For full details, see my guide on cooking pasta ).

Prep the veggies & cheese

While the pasta cooks, chop all your vegetables: dice the pepper, cucumber, and onion, halve the tomatoes, and slice the olives. You can also cube or crumble the feta now so it’s ready to toss in.

Make the dressing

To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until it looks smooth and creamy.

Combine & toss

In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta with the chopped veggies, beans, olives, feta, and arugula. Pour the dressing over the top and toss everything together until evenly coated.

Let the flavors meld

If you have a few minutes before serving, let it sit at room temperature or in the fridge — it gives the flavors a chance to come together beautifully.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Alphafoodie tips

• Cook the pasta just slightly past al dente . Since it firms up once cooled, slightly overcooking (by 1–2 minutes) keeps the texture soft and pleasant in the finished salad.
• Rinse the pasta well after cooking . This stops the cooking process and removes excess starch, which helps prevent clumping and keeps the salad fresh longer. (Normally you wouldn’t rinse pasta if you’re making a warm pasta dish, since the starch helps sauce cling — but for cold pasta salad, rinsing is the way to go.)
• Add a drizzle of olive oil if you’re prepping ahead . If you’re not mixing the salad right away, tossing the pasta with a little oil helps keep it from sticking together.
• Chop everything into small, even pieces . This gives you a little bit of everything in each bite and makes the salad easier to serve and eat.
• Let the salad rest before serving . Even 10 minutes makes a difference — the flavors start to meld and the dressing settles beautifully into the pasta and veggies.

Yes! Just store the dressing separately and mix it in before serving the salad for the best texture and flavor.

Fusilli, rotini, or any short pasta with ridges or twists work best — they hold onto the dressing and chopped veggies really well.

Absolutely. You can leave out the feta or use a plant-based alternative like my vegan feta cheese — it works beautifully in this recipe.

More nutrition-packed salad recipes

If you enjoyed this pasta salad, here are a few other satisfying and wholesome options to try next:

Equipment

• Mixing bowl set
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board

Ingredients1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 cups dried pasta fusilli or rotini, about 12 oz
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper medium, diced
• ▢ 1 cucumber large, chopped
• ▢ 1 red onion small, finely diced
• ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• ▢ 1 cup cooked red beans (pinto or similar), drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 cup black olives sliced
• ▢ 1 cup feta cheese cubed or crumbled
• ▢ 1 cup arugula loosely packed

For the dressing:

• ▢ ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic grated or minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt adjust as needed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. If not dressing immediately, toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and prepare the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, vegetables, beans, olives, feta, and arugula. Pour the dressing over and toss well to coat.
• Let the salad sit for 5–10 minutes before serving, if time allows, to help the flavors meld. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Easy pasta salad

Equipment

• Mixing bowl set
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board

Ingredients

• 3 cups dried pasta fusilli or rotini, about 12 oz
• 1 red bell pepper medium, diced
• 1 cucumber large, chopped
• 1 red onion small, finely diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup cooked red beans (pinto or similar), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup black olives sliced
• 1 cup feta cheese cubed or crumbled
• 1 cup arugula loosely packed

For the dressing:

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic grated or minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon sea salt adjust as needed
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. If not dressing immediately, toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and prepare the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, vegetables, beans, olives, feta, and arugula. Pour the dressing over and toss well to coat.
• Let the salad sit for 5–10 minutes before serving, if time allows, to help the flavors meld. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Recipe on Alphafoodie: https://www.alphafoodie.com/easy-pasta-salad/