This Gluten Free Italian Pasta Salad is my go-to side dish to bring to a cookout, BBQ or to have for an easy side for a busy weeknight. It’s loaded with tons of veggies, gluten free noodles and is SO quick to whip up!
You guys! Happy Friday! I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe with you today, just in time for the weekend and for 4th of July next weekend!
Do you have any fun 4th plans? I think Ben and I are going up to my parents house in the mountains for a long weekend and we are SO excited!
I know what you’re thinking….the world doesn’t need another pasta salad recipe. But I think it does! Pasta salad is a quintessential American pastime – so what better way to celebrate Summer and 4th of July than to have yet ANOTHER pasta salad recipe?!
Why This Is Not Your Average Pasta Salad
I first threw this dish together for our friends at a Memorial Day cookout we had. My friend, Marisol, is gluten free so I knew I wanted to make the menu very accommodating to her needs.
Good thing I love gluten free noodles anyway! 😉 For this recipe, I highly recommend using Banza noodles. I’ve talked about them on my blog before and they are truly my favorite! I’ve used them for years – the taste is delicious and I truly can’t tell that it isn’t “normal” pasta.
I love this pasta salad because it’s super versatile and customizable! You can use any crunchy seasonal veg you might have in your fridge but I personally used a combo of: cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, and pepperoncinis! I often also add in green bell peppers but didn’t have room in the photos for those.
I love the JUICINESS of the tomatoes – they literally almost burst in your mouth with every bite. The red onion has a spicy bite to it, the cucumbers are the perfect cooling and refreshing crunchy addition and the pepperoncinis….Y’ALL. They are tangy, juicy, a little sour and the perfect addition of deliciousness to this salad.
Mixed all together with a super simple Italian dressing using pantry ingredients….this pasta salad is DELISH. So let’s get into exactly what you need for it/how to whip it up!
Ingredients You Need:
- Gluten free pasta noodles (I used rotini and I used Banza brand – not affiliate!)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- English cucumber
- Pepperoncinis
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Best Pasta Salad Making Tips:
First off, I would recommend leaving time to have the pasta salad sit in the fridge for a few hours BEFORE the cookout or whenever you might be eating it. No one likes a lukewarm pasta salad, y’all. So it needs that time in the fridge to cool off and for the flavors to really meld together.
Pro tip – you can always cook it the night before!
Start off by cooking the noodles. Once they are done, drain them and set them aside.
To save time and another bowl, I highly recommend pouring the ingredients for the Italian dressing straight into the large bowl you are going to put the pasta salad in.
Whisk up the ingredients in the bowl, taste, adjust seasoning if needed and then pour in the noodles!
Next, chop up all of those veggies. I diced my red onion into bite size small pieces, the cucumbers into half moons, the pepperoncinis into strips and the cherry tomatoes in half.
Add all of those to the bowl. Mix mix mix until it’s all combined and coated.
Place into the fridge for at least 2 hours to let it cool off and ENJOY every single bite!
Storing Pasta Salad Leftovers:
Store in a tupperware container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can always add a splash of red wine vinegar to it to help liven it back up!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
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Gluten Free Italian Pasta Salad
This Gluten Free Italian Pasta Salad is my go-to side dish to bring to a cookout, BBQ or to have for an easy side for a busy weeknight. It’s loaded with tons of veggies, gluten free noodles and is SO quick to whip up!
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten free rotini noodles (my favorite is Banza)
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, diced in half
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 large English cucumber, sliced into half moons
- 1/2 cup pepperoncinis, diced
Italian Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Begin by boiling the noodles and cooking them according to box instructions. When they are done cooking, drain them and set them aside.
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In a large bowl that you will serve the pasta salad in, add in the dressing ingredients. Use a whisk to mix them together. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed - if you like more of an Italian flavor, add 2 tsp of seasoning. Be sure to add salt and pepper as well!
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Next, slice and dice and chop all of the veggies!
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Add the pasta to the bowl directly with the dressing as well as the chopped veggies. Mix together until everything is fully combined!
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Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If you like more of a "zip", add some more red wine vinegar or a pinch of salt.
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Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours prior to serving. Enjoy!