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    Home » Recipes » Lunch

    April 24, 2023

    Ditalini Pasta Salad (Quick & Delicious)!

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    This delicious ditalini pasta salad recipe is packed full of nutritious veggies and features a tangy, sweet and creamy dressing! The best part of this recipe? It can be made in just 30 minutes or less. It's the perfect barbeque side and goes great with any grilled protein.

    Ditalini pasta salad in a white serving dish.
    Ditalini Pasta Salad

    Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    A flavor-packed, cold pasta salad is the best way to celebrate the spring and summer months. If you love this recipe you should also check out my mouthwatering asparagus pasta salad or this yummy whole wheat pasta salad.

    Both of these are good as a dinner side or light lunch. And either one is the perfect accompaniment for a cookout or pool party when that warm weather hits!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • How To Make Ditalini Pasta Salad
    • Expert Tips
    • How To Store Leftovers:
    • Make-Ahead Instructions:
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Cookout Sides
    • Ditalini Pasta Salad (Quick & Delicious)!

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    • Fresh vegetables: I use red onions, red pepper, cucumber, broccoli and celery. Feel free to mix things up and use different vegetables! Kalamata olives, black olives, green onions and sweet pickles are also yummy additions.
    • Ditalini pasta: these small, tube shaped pasta noodles are so tasty! Of course, you can use a different shape of pasta, if you prefer.
    • Mayonnaise: I prefer avocado oil mayo, but any will do.
    • Greek yogurt: I like to use a low-fat/nonfat yogurt to reduce calories, though full fat works just fine! You can also use sour cream (light or regular).
    • Dijon mustard: or standard yellow mustard.
    • Honey: for a touch of sweetness!
    • Spices: salt, ground black pepper and dried/crushed oregano! You can experiment with spices, if desired.
    • Blue cheese crumbles: or crumbly cheese of choice. Goat and feta cheese would also work great.
    Ingredients

    How To Make Ditalini Pasta Salad

    Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with a quick overview!

    Prepare pasta and veggies:

    • Peel and dice red onion and place it in a large mixing bowl.
    • Rinse your pepper, cucumber, celery and broccoli. Pat dry and chop into small pieces, add to the bowl along with onion.
    • Cook ditalini pasta al dente in salted water, according to package directions. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water and add it to the bowl, along with chopped veggies.
    • Give everything a good mix!
    Left: bowl of chopped veggies. Middle: cooked ditalini atop veggies. Right: ditalini and veggies, mixed.

    Make dressing:

    • Measure mayo, Greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper and oregano into small jar, bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk until well combined.
    Dressing mixed up in a glass Pyrex measuring cup.

    Dress salad:

    • Pour dressing over salad and mix until ingredients are well coated.
    Dressing poured over veggies and ditalini.

    Add cheese:

    • Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles on top of the ditalini pasta salad, and then gently stir or "fold" them into the mixture.
    Blue cheese crumbles sprinkled on top of ditalini pasta salad mixture.

    Serve:

    • Serve your salad solo (as a light lunch or dinner) or enjoy with any main course meal! I love eating this pasta salad with grilled huli huli chicken, steak, shrimp, hot dogs and hamburgers.
    Ditalini pasta salad in a large glass bowl.
    Creamy Ditalini Pasta Salad

    Expert Tips

    • I highly recommend chopping veggies up nice and small! It makes the salad tastier and easy to eat.
    • I like a lot of vinegar so I add 4 full tablespoons (¼ cup) to my dressing, but you can add less if desired. You can also add extra honey for more sweet flavor.
    • Feel free to play around and add other types of veggies.
    • I love ditalini pasta in this salad, but any shape will work. Bow-tie would also be fun!

    How To Store Leftovers:

    Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container, refrigerate for 3-5 days. I don't recommend freezing this salad.

    If the dressing soaks into the noodles, you can mix in a little more mayo and perhaps a small drizzle of honey or vinegar. Then, mix well until it's creamy again.

    Make-Ahead Instructions:

    If you want to make your pasta salad a night or two in advance, for an event, I recommend keeping the dressing in a separate container and mixing it in right before serving!

    I do this because the pasta will absorb the dressing as the salad sits, however, you can revive it by simply tossing in a little bit more mayo and a tiny bit or additional honey and vinegar.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is ditalini?

    Ditalini is a type of pasta shaped like small tube. It kind of looks like short elbow macaroni without an arch or curve. Ditalini is an Italian word that translates to "little thimbles" in English. This type of pasta is often used in minestrone soup or pasta e fagioli and is very popular in Sicily, Italiy! (Source: wikipedia)

    Where can I buy ditalini pasta?

    You can buy it at almost any grocery store. I get mine at Kroger!

    Closeup of a large spoonful of ditalini pasta salad.
    Ditalini Pasta Salad Close Up

    More Cookout Sides

    If you're ready to celebrate the hot summer months and need a crowd pleaser for your barbeque or cookout, look no further! These recipes all make for a great side dish.

    • Egg Salad With Greek Yogurt
    • Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
    • Cold Asparagus Pasta Salad
    • Watermelon Feta Mint Salad
    • Fruit Salad With Whipped Cream
    • Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
    • Tomato Peach And Basil Salad
    • Burrata Caprese Salad
    • Mexican Tuna Salad With Corn

    Pin it for later!

    Ditalini pasta salad in a glass bowl with text overlay for Pinterest.
    Ditalini pasta salad in a white serving dish.
    Print Recipe
    4.75 from 4 votes

    Ditalini Pasta Salad (Quick & Delicious)!

    This delicious ditalini pasta salad is packed full of nutritious veggies and features a creamy, sweet and tangy dressing! The best part of this recipe? It can be made in just 30 minutes or less. It's the perfect barbeque side and goes great with any grilled protein.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time7 minutes mins
    Total Time22 minutes mins
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Ditalini Pasta Salad
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 253kcal
    Author: Stacey Adams

    Equipment

    • 1 Large Mixing Bowl

    Ingredients

    Salad Ingredients

    • ⅓ medium red onion *diced
    • 1 small red bell pepper *diced *see note below
    • ⅓ large cucumber *diced
    • 1 cup broccoli crowns *diced
    • 1 large stalk celery *diced
    • 2 cups dry ditalini pasta
    • ½ cup blue cheese crumbles *goat or feta cheese can be substituted

    Dressing Ingredients

    • ¼ cup avocado oil mayonnaise *regular mayo also works fine
    • ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt *see note below
    • ¼ cup white wine vinegar *see note below
    • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
    • 2 tablespoons honey *see note below
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano

    Recipe Notes: 

    General: I highly recommend chopping veggies up nice and small! It makes the salad extra yummy and easy to eat.
    General: be sure to store all of your leftover veggies for use in other recipes and salads like this simple garden salad. I like to store mine in airtight containers, re-usable silicone bags or a tight layer of plastic wrap. Many veggies will last for up to 2 weeks (or longer) if stored properly!
    Red bell pepper: a yellow, orange or green bell pepper will also work. I like using red because it's sweetest. 
    Greek yogurt: 2% or full fat also work. You can also sub light or regular sour cream.
    Vinegar: I like a lot of vinegar so I use four full tablespoons (or ¼ cup). You can cut back if preferred.
    Honey: add extra if  you want some more sweet flavor!

    Instructions

    • Peel and dice red onion and place it in a large bowl.
      ⅓ medium red onion
    • Rinse your bell pepper, cucumber, celery and broccoli. Pat dry and dice them up nice and small. Add to bowl along with onion.
      1 small red bell pepper, ⅓ large cucumber, 1 cup broccoli crowns, 1 large stalk celery
    • Cook ditalini to al dente in salted water, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water, then add it to the bowl along with veggies and mix to combine.
      2 cups dry ditalini pasta
    • Measure dressing ingredients into small jar, bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk until well combined.
      ¼ cup avocado oil mayonnaise, ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
    • Pour dressing over salad and mix until all ingredients are well coated.
    • Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles on top of the ditalini pasta salad, and gently stir them in.
      ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
    • Serve immediately or chill first. Enjoy!

    How To Store Leftovers:

    • Transfer leftovers to an airtight container, refrigerate for 3-5 days. I don't recommend freezing this salad.
      If dressing soaks into the noodles, mix in a little more mayo, vinegar or honey to make the salad creamy again!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/10th of recipe (all values are approximate). | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.4g | Protein: 8.6g | Fat: 7.1g | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 6.6g

    Did you make this recipe?!

    Wahoo! Thank you so much for trying it out – would you leave a rating?! Simply click on the stars in the recipe card above.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debra Cormier says

      April 28, 2024 at 12:49 pm

      4 stars
      I put in a cup of shredded carrots and a cup of frozen peas omit the broccoli only add all the other ingredients it was very good.

      Reply
      • Garlic Salt & Lime says

        May 16, 2024 at 4:41 pm

        Sounds delicious! Love your improvisations. Thanks for the comment and review, Debra!

        Reply
    2. Kim Waldorf says

      June 03, 2024 at 6:25 am

      Looks delish! I'm going to feature it in a summer recipe round-up post this week!

      Reply
    3. Rhonda Lewis says

      July 04, 2025 at 10:56 am

      I omitted the broccoli and added radishes and peas. Delicious

      Reply
      • Garlic Salt & Lime says

        July 05, 2025 at 10:38 am

        Yum! Sounds great!

        Reply
    4.75 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Stacey! I love developing quick, healthy, real food recipes to share with you and your family. Eating nutritious food doesn't have to mean heaps of time in the kitchen, let me show you!

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