This summer pasta salad is packed with the sweetness of pineapple and a creamy dressing. It is a perfect meal prep-friendly summer meal for picnics, potlucks, or BBQs. Be sure to watch the video!
A light, creamy and tasty pasta salad recipe is what we all need to sail through the summer season. And when combined with fresh pineapple cubes? Well, it cannot get any better than that.
It is so comforting to have a light pasta salad for lunch along with a glass of chilled iced tea or mint lemonade during the hot summer afternoon.
It is the perfect recipe for a summer potluck or the office lunchbox. It transports well and can be made in advance. Just allow it to get chilled for the flavours to develop.
The addition of grilled chicken, shrimp, or sun-dried tomatoes makes this pineapple pasta salad more delicious.
Pineapple Pasta Salad
The Salad: The USP of this salad recipe is PINEAPPLE. The addition of pineapple cubes provides a fruity dimension to the pasta salad.
You can use either the canned pineapple cubes or the fresh ones.
The Dressing: A creamy Italian-style dressing is perfect for pasta salad. Adding pineapple juice to the dressing gives it a fruity kick. Making the salad all the way more delicious and unique. You can prepare this salad dressing for 2 – 3 days and store it in the refrigerator. Shake well before use.
FAQs Related To Pasta Salad
There are two reasons for a pasta salad to get dry. One, the pasta is cold and hard – secondly, insufficient dressing. The best way to deal with this problem is to keep pasta slightly warm and moist while adding the dressing. And prepare a double batch of dressing. If, before serving, the salad seems dry, add more dressing and toss the salad.
The excellent news is pasta salad can be stored for 2 – 5 days in the fridge, depending on the ingredients. If there are highly perishable ingredients such as seafood, boiled eggs, or uncooked meat, consuming the salad within 1 – 2 days is best. Otherwise, you can easily store pasta salad in an airtight container for a week.
You can use shell pasta, macaroni, fusilli, orzo, penne, or any other bite-size pasta. I do not recommend using long pasta like spaghetti for this salad recipe.
Sadly no. This pasta salad is not freezer-friendly. The herb dressing, grilled chicken, cheese, and fresh vegetables lose their texture and taste once frozen. Therefore, it is best consumed within 1 – 2 hours of assembling or, if refrigerated, then the next day.
Watch Pasta Salad Video
More Salad Recipes
- Lentil Salad
- Avocado Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Summer Fruit Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Tropical Pineapple Salad
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Creamy Summer Pasta Salad Recipe
- Salad Mixing Bowl
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 400 gram farfalle pasta
- ¼ Cup diced red bell pepper
- ¼ Cup diced cucumber
- ¼ Cup thinly sliced onion
- ¼ Cup olives cut into halves
- ½ Cup pineapple cubes, canned or fresh
- ¼ Cup fresh basil
Ingredients for the dressing
- ½ Cup plain mayonnaise
- ¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ Cup pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep Work For Salad:
- To prepare the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Whisk using a fork until nicely emulsified or combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Keep in the fridge.
- Chop all the vegetables and pineapple. Assemble in a bowl.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain, then rinse with water.
Prepare Pasta Salad:
- Add cooked pasta along with the chopped ingredients. Mix nicely.
- Pour the dressing over the salad. Gently mix to coat the salad with the dressing.
- Let the salad sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve Creamy Summer Pasta Salad chilled for lunch or evening snacks.
Recipe Notes:
- It is always best to use broad shaped or tube type pasta for salad instead of spaghetti or linguini.
- Pasta is the soul of this salad. Do not overcook or undercook the pasta otherwise the whole salad will be either mushy or dry.
- While boiling pasta it is highly recommended to season the water with salt. This step ensures a well seasoned pasta for salad instead of a bland one.
- It is best to use sweet, ripe and juicy pineapple for making this pasta salad.
Mamta jain says
Hi , …i would like to be a contibutor to the board vegetarian recipes
Helpwithmath says
Hina Gujral, thanks so much for the post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
Cialis says
Thanks Shannon!
Ramesh Krishnamoorthy says
For 400gm of pasta, the quantity of other ingredients seems to be not enough. I could barely see other items once everything is mixed!!!!. Please provide accurate quantity next time
Hina Gujral says
The quantities are exact and precise. If you want the pasta salad to be more creamy as per your preference, please add more mayonnaise and other ingredients.
Elsa says
What a delicious and nutritious dish. Your recipe is great. I added more pineapple to my dish, is that okay? In your opinion, is it okay?
Hina Gujral says
Ohh yea. It’s absolutely fine to add more pineapple or dressing to make it more creamy and fruity.
Henry Mosley says
Made this pasta salad this weekend and was delighted. I had to leave out the olives because the family members are allergic, I hope it didn’t make it taste worse. Will make for a full recipe sometime and be sure to share it here so everyone knows about your lovely site. Thank you.
Caitlin444 says
This is an amazing type of post.
Safe
Viola Jonson says
Everyone loved the variety of veggies. I made my own dressing by blending red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and fresh red onion in a magic bullet which made it creamy. Was fantastic.
Hina Gujral says
So happy to read your feedback!