12 Summer Pasta Salads With Bold Flavor

By Vanessa Greaves
March 25, 2020
Credit: Buckwheat Queen

Pasta salad is on the menu in a big way this summer. Not content with mere side dish status, the best pasta salads are busting out main-dish moves with bold tastes and textures. Take a look at some of our favorite main dish pasta salad recipes to make this summer.

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Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

Credit: abapplez
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Juicy mandarin oranges, crisp and colorful raw vegetables and leafy spinach are tossed with cooked pasta and leftover chicken in a ginger-kissed rice vinegar dressing. If you use the liquid from the canned mandarin oranges when you whisk up the dressing, you can reduce or omit the added sugar. "A wonderful summer salad!" says Rhonda Jay. "A light and healthy salad which stands on its own without the need for anything else on the side."

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Greek Pasta Salad I

Credit: Allrecipes Magazine
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Fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and sweet bell peppers mix it up with sharp, salty feta cheese, olives, and pepperoni, while a homemade vinaigrette loaded with Mediterranean herbs brings it all together. You'll want to make the salad a day ahead so the flavors can get to know each other better. "The first time I made it was for a block party, and after tasting it, my husband wanted me to make something else to take so he could have this all for himself," says CMACINTYRE.

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Pesto Pasta Caprese Salad

Credit: Buckwheat Queen
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In this Italian pasta salad, you get two big hits of basil's pungent green flavor when fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese are tossed with a zesty basil pesto sauce. "Super tasty, and very healthy," says Alaniwhat. She used gluten-free rotini, and it was a huge hit.

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Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Credit: Melissa Goff
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A generous helping of crispy, smoky bacon is what sets this salad apart from others that just sprinkle it on a bit. Cool and creamy ranch dressing pulls the rest of the ingredients together for a BLT pasta salad that's definitely not for timid taste buds.

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Awesome Pasta Salad

Credit: The Sporadic Cook
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This is the easy pasta salad recipe everyone makes their own. They add this, tweak that, and pretty soon they've created a signature salad their friends beg them to bring. What will you add?

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Pomelo Salad with Rice Vermicelli

Credit: Kim's Cooking Now
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The combination of pomelo and noodles may not seem like a natural pair, but this refreshing pasta salad will convince you otherwise. The flavors of Thai sweet chili sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and cilantro come together seamlessly.

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Fruity Pasta Salad with Herbs

Credit: lutzflcat
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"Loaded with fresh fruit and herbs, this creamy, pleasantly sweet pasta salad will become one of your favorite summer recipes," writes home cook lutzflcat.

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Chicken Noodle Salad

Credit: Chef John
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"Get ready to make all sorts of friends when you bring a big bowl of this Asian chicken noodle salad to the next big cookout. The only folks you might scare away are the ones who brought regular pasta salads. There's just something delightfully addictive about this special combination of cold and spicy. This recipe is the perfect catchall for all those summer vegetables we're supposed to be eating more of, as well as any dry leftover chicken you have around," Chef John says.

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Chickpea-on-Chickpea Pasta Salad

Credit: Buckwheat Queen
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Chickpea fusilli joins forces with marinated vegetables and cheese. Pesto, made with fresh herbs, packs an extra punch of flavor.

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Thai Rice Noodle Salad

Credit: Buckwheat Queen
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"This is very delicious! With these noodle bowls, the real clincher is the sauce and this one is quite good. I cut the sugar by 75% because I don't like things that are sweet. It worked perfectly." — Buckwheat Queen

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Soba Noodle Salad with Chicken and Sesame

Credit: Buckwheat Queen
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"This is exactly the sort of healthy dinner or lunch you want when it's hot. It's super delicious filling and fantastic! I've made this a handful of times and keep the dressing recipe the same bit adjust vegetables per what I have," reviewer barngurl says.

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Fiesta Pasta Salad with Dill Pickles

Credit: lutzflcat
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Minced dill pickles and sweet pickle relish bring a notable tang to this colorful pasta salad. Celery and radishes add crunch.

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