When the temperature climbs and the last thing anyone wants is a heavy, sticky dinner, cold pasta salads are the answer. I started making them years ago for backyard cookouts, and now I find excuses to throw one together almost every week in July and August.
Below, you’ll find 14 tried-and-true recipes I’ve rounded up from some of my favorite food bloggers. Every single one is doable on a weeknight, uses ingredients you can find at any grocery store, and — most importantly — actually tastes good. Let’s get into it.
What’s Inside
Here’s a quick look at all the recipes ahead — tap any one to jump straight to it.
- Summer Pasta Salad
- Kale Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
- Panzanella Salad Recipe • Salt & Lavender
- Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
- Balsamic Caprese Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
- Easy Macaroni Salad • Salt & Lavender
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Panzanella Salad
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Gluten-Free Pasta Salad Mediterranean Style
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- BLT Bowtie Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
The 14 Recipes
Each recipe below links out to the original creator’s blog — please give them a visit, leave a comment, and bookmark anything you love.
Summer Pasta Salad
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
If you’ve been on the hunt for a pasta dinner that actually delivers on flavor without keeping you in the kitchen, this one is it.
The sauce is the kind that clings to every strand of pasta, and a little sprinkle of fresh herbs at the end takes it from weeknight to dinner-party-worthy in about ten seconds.
Kale Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
I love how this dish manages to feel both comforting and quick. The whole family devours it, and the leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day.
If you’re feeding picky eaters, this is one of those rare recipes that somehow satisfies everyone at the table — kids go for the noodles, adults go for the bold seasoning.
Panzanella Salad Recipe • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
This has become a regular-rotation dinner in our house. It’s the kind of meal that makes you feel like you have your act together, even on a Wednesday.
The original creator does a beautiful job of layering flavor with just a few smart techniques — nothing fussy, nothing complicated, just good honest cooking.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
This one comes together with just a handful of pantry staples and is ready in about 30 minutes — perfect for the kind of night when you’re already running behind.
What I love most is how forgiving the recipe is: you can swap in whatever vegetables are hanging out in your fridge, and it still comes out tasting great every single time.
Easy Italian Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
If you’ve been on the hunt for a pasta dinner that actually delivers on flavor without keeping you in the kitchen, this one is it.
The sauce is the kind that clings to every strand of pasta, and a little sprinkle of fresh herbs at the end takes it from weeknight to dinner-party-worthy in about ten seconds.
Balsamic Caprese Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
I love how this dish manages to feel both comforting and quick. The whole family devours it, and the leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day.
If you’re feeding picky eaters, this is one of those rare recipes that somehow satisfies everyone at the table — kids go for the noodles, adults go for the bold seasoning.
Easy Macaroni Salad • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
This has become a regular-rotation dinner in our house. It’s the kind of meal that makes you feel like you have your act together, even on a Wednesday.
The original creator does a beautiful job of layering flavor with just a few smart techniques — nothing fussy, nothing complicated, just good honest cooking.
Italian Chopped Salad
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
This one comes together with just a handful of pantry staples and is ready in about 30 minutes — perfect for the kind of night when you’re already running behind.
What I love most is how forgiving the recipe is: you can swap in whatever vegetables are hanging out in your fridge, and it still comes out tasting great every single time.
Panzanella Salad
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
If you’ve been on the hunt for a pasta dinner that actually delivers on flavor without keeping you in the kitchen, this one is it.
The sauce is the kind that clings to every strand of pasta, and a little sprinkle of fresh herbs at the end takes it from weeknight to dinner-party-worthy in about ten seconds.
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
I love how this dish manages to feel both comforting and quick. The whole family devours it, and the leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day.
If you’re feeding picky eaters, this is one of those rare recipes that somehow satisfies everyone at the table — kids go for the noodles, adults go for the bold seasoning.
Macaroni Salad
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
This has become a regular-rotation dinner in our house. It’s the kind of meal that makes you feel like you have your act together, even on a Wednesday.
The original creator does a beautiful job of layering flavor with just a few smart techniques — nothing fussy, nothing complicated, just good honest cooking.
Gluten-Free Pasta Salad Mediterranean Style
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
This one comes together with just a handful of pantry staples and is ready in about 30 minutes — perfect for the kind of night when you’re already running behind.
What I love most is how forgiving the recipe is: you can swap in whatever vegetables are hanging out in your fridge, and it still comes out tasting great every single time.
Pesto Pasta Salad
Recipe from The Cozy Apron
If you’ve been on the hunt for a pasta dinner that actually delivers on flavor without keeping you in the kitchen, this one is it.
The sauce is the kind that clings to every strand of pasta, and a little sprinkle of fresh herbs at the end takes it from weeknight to dinner-party-worthy in about ten seconds.
BLT Bowtie Pasta Salad • Salt & Lavender
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
I love how this dish manages to feel both comforting and quick. The whole family devours it, and the leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day.
If you’re feeding picky eaters, this is one of those rare recipes that somehow satisfies everyone at the table — kids go for the noodles, adults go for the bold seasoning.
That’s a Lot of Pasta
Hope this gives you a few new ideas for the next time you need dinner on the table fast. If you try any of these, I’d love to hear which one became your favorite — leave me a comment and let me know.
—Elowen Thorn
Sources & Credits
Every recipe in this roundup is the work of a talented food blogger. Please visit their sites, leave a kind comment, and support the work they do: