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 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.
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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!
- Gouda cheese cubes: feel free to add or substitute your favorite type of cheese: cheddar, Colby jack, feta or pepper jack are some 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, pepper & Italian seasonings: simple additions that add a lot of flavor!
How to make pasta salad - a quick overview!
Keep scrolling for complete recipe and instructions. We’ll start here with a super quick rundown!
- 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 and chop into pieces.
- Cook pasta according to instructions on package. With three minutes remaining, add asparagus to the pot.
- Drain pasta and asparagus, rinse with cold water and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Dice onion, quarter salami and cut tomatoes in half. Add all three to the bowl along with cubed cheese and olives.
- Mix seasonings and oil together and stir into salad until well incorporated.
- Eat salad right away or chill.
- Plate and enjoy!
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:
- Try a different protein like grilled chicken, shrimp, lobster, salmon or crab.
- Or, leave the meat out for a vegetarian version of this dish!
- Add different veggies. Green beans, diced bell peppers, jalapenos, edamame, corn, peas, or radishes would all be delicious. Use your favorites!
- Use a different kind of pasta like orzo or bow tie.
- Drizzle some fresh lemon juice on top of your salad to brighten it up.
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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 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 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!
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!