Cold pasta salad with asparagus, gluten free rotini, red cherry tomatoes, black olives, gouda cheese, salami, olive oil and Italian seasonings! Such a delicious, quick and easy summertime classic. Ready in 30 minutes or less, this is the perfect side dish to serve at (or bring to) any outdoor event.
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When the weather heats up and the sun is shining, it's fun to get out of the house and into the backyard! Tis the season for cookouts, barbeques, picnics and pool parties.
If you're ready to fire up the grill and need more side dish inspo, I've got you covered.
More cookout sides:
- Chips & Homemade Guacamole
- Egg Salad With Greek Yogurt
- Chicken Salad With Greek Yogurt
- Cucumber And Onion Salad
- Watermelon Mint & Feta Salad
- Fruit Salad With Whipped Cream
- Simple Garden Salad
- Ditalini Pasta Salad
- Penne al Salmone
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Ingredients
This simple recipe requires only 9 ingredients!
Gluten free rotini: the brand linked here is the one I use (it's made from chickpeas). I'm a huge fan and can't taste much difference at all. You can, of course, use regular pasta if you're not worried about making this recipe gluten free.
Fresh asparagus: extra delicious and cheap in the spring and summer. It's always great to buy fruits and veggies when they're in season.
Cherry tomatoes: bright and sweet! Grape tomatoes will also work but tend to be less flavorful in my opinion.
Gouda cheese cubes: feel free to add or substitute your favorite type of cheese: cheddar, Colby jack, pepper jack or feta cheese are other tasty options.
Salami: pepperoni also works.
Black olives: add nice color and texture to your salad.
Extra virgin olive oil: helps seasonings stick to rotini and veggies.
Salt, black pepper & Italian seasonings: simple additions that add a lot of flavor!
How To Make Pasta Salad
Keep scrolling for complete recipe and instructions. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
- Place a large pot of salted, HOT water on the stovetop and set heat to high.
- While waiting for water to boil, remove ends from asparagus spears and chop into pieces.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. With three minutes remaining, add asparagus to the pot.
- Drain pasta and asparagus, rinse with cool water and place in a large bowl.
- Dice onion, quarter salami and cut tomatoes in half. Add all three to the bowl along with cubed cheese and olives.
- In a small bowl, mix seasonings and oil together. Stir mixture into salad until well incorporated.
- Enjoy at room temperature or refrigerate. I personally prefer to chill my salad for 20-30 minutes before digging in, but it's delicious either way.
Handy Tips
When purchasing groceries for this recipe, look for cheese that is already cut into cubes to save yourself some time! Hot tip: cheese sticks are super easy to cut down into cubes.
Feel free to get creative with this recipe and try various mix-ins. Maybe add different types of veggies or try another type/shape of noodle. Pasta salad is very flexible.
Many pasta salad recipes use Italian dressing. Here, I'm opting for a combination of olive oil and Italian seasonings, but you can definitely use dressing if you prefer. I would stir in 3-4 tablespoons and see how it tastes, then and add more if desired!
Step By Step Photos
Variations
Don't be afraid to flex your creativity muscles when it comes to this recipe! You can try all different kinds of mix-ins. Here are some ideas:
Protein: try adding a different protein like grilled chicken, shrimp, lobster, salmon or crab.
Vegetarian: leave meat out all together, or sub grilled tofu, for a vegetarian version of this dish!
Mix-ins: not a fan of asparagus? try green beans, diced bell peppers, jalapenos, edamame, corn, peas, chopped green onions or radishes. Use your favorites!
Pasta: use a different type of pasta like orzo or bow tie.
Citrus: stir in some fresh lemon zest or juice to brighten ingredients.
Pesto: you can't go wrong with pesto in pasta salad. This chicken pesto pasta salad is one of my favorites (it's great as a side but can absolutely be served as a main course)!
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Cold Asparagus Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten free rotini *see note below
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 4 oz. package thin sliced salami *pepperoni will also work
- 10 oz. package cherry tomatoes
- 10 oz. package cubed gouda cheese *see note below
- 1 2.25 oz. can sliced olives *drained
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Recipe notes:
Gluten free rotini: I prefer the Banza brand (see link). It's made from chickpeas and tastes very similar to wheat pasta in my opinion (nutrition info below is calculated using this pasta)! Cubed gouda cheese: feel free to substitute your favorite type of cheese! When purchasing groceries for this recipe, look for cheese that is already cubed to save yourself some time. Cheese sticks are super easy to cut down into cubes.Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted, HOT water on the stovetop and set heat to high.
- While waiting for water to boil, remove woody ends from asparagus and chop down into small, bite size pieces.
- Add pasta to boiling water, reduce heat and set a timer according to instructions on packaging. With three minutes remaining, add asparagus to the pot.
- Drain cooked pasta and asparagus, rinse with cold water and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Dice red onion, quarter salami and cut tomatoes in half. Add all three to the bowl along with cubed cheese and drained black olives.
- Mix seasonings and olive oil together and stir into pasta salad ingredients until well incorporated.
- Eat your salad right away or cover with plastic wrap and chill.
- Plate and enjoy!
Storage Instructions:
- Place pasta salad in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Leftovers are perfect for an easy lunch!
Nutrition
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Christy Little says
This looks so yummy and perfect for our upcoming beach trip. Going to pair it with a piece of grilled fish!
stacey_olson says
Oh yes! It would be PERFECT with grilled fish. Yum!