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Healthy pasta salad recipes are a cornerstone of summer cooking for good reason. They’re a simple way to creatively pack in a variety of yummy ingredients, like fresh seasonal produce. They’re also versatile—as perfect for meal prep as an impromptu backyard BBQ.
And while pasta salads are more classically a side dish, they’re actually ideal for a filling main course too. Generally speaking, a satisfying meal is going to include three-to-four food groups—fat, protein, starch, and fruits or vegetables—for a variety of tastes, textures, and nutrients, SELF columnist Jessica Jones, M.S., R.D., certified diabetes educator and cofounder of Food Heaven, has told SELF.
Pasta salad covers all those bases pretty easily, with flavors and nutrients galore. You’ve got carbs from the noodles, of course, and it’s not really a pasta salad without some sort of crunchy veggie element and creamy fat-based dressing. Many also include a protein source like chicken, beans, shrimp, lentils, eggs, or tofu.
We’ve rounded up some of the tastiest healthy pasta salad recipes around, including plenty of fresh takes on the summer staple as well as more traditional versions.
A note about the word healthy here: We know that healthy is a complicated concept. Not only can it mean different things to different people, it’s a word that’s pretty loaded (and sometimes fraught), thanks to the diet industry’s influence on the way we think about food. At SELF, when we talk about food being healthy, we’re primarily talking about foods that are nutritious, filling, and satisfying. But it also depends on your preferences, your culture, what’s accessible to you, and so much more. We selected these recipes with those basic criteria in mind while also trying to appeal to a wide variety of nutritional needs and taste buds.
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Erin Clarke via Well Plated1 Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad From Well Plated
A pasta salad inspired by the classic, complete with romaine, croutons, parmesan cheese, and homemade caesar dressing (or sub with store-bought).
Get the recipe here.
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Dana and John Shultz via Minimalist Baker2 Vegan Macaroni Salad From Minimalist Baker
The dressing for this salad calls for silken tofu, which makes it creamy, dairy-free, and protein-packed!
Get the recipe here.
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Richa Hingle via Vegan Richa3 Tuscan Pasta Salad With Lemon Garlic Herb Vinaigrette From Vegan Richa
This lip-smacking side salad is vegan as written—calling for vegan feta or cream cheese—but you can sub with real cheese if you’re not vegan. Optional add-ins include zucchini and olives.
Get the recipe here.
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Marwin Brown via Food Fidelity4 Citrus Israeli Couscous Salad From Food Fidelity
Couscous is indeed a kind of pasta, technically speaking. Here it’s cooked with orange juice and mixed with plump cranberries, quick-pickled red onions, and grilled asparagus.
Get the recipe here.
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Stephanie Le via I Am A Food Blog5 Summertime Pasta Salad From I Am a Food Blog
This recipe calls for bocconcini, those cute baby balls of fresh mozzarella. The secret ingredient in the sweet and vinegary dressing? Ketchup.
Get the recipe here.
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Marisa Moore6 Mediterranean Chickpea Pasta Salad From Marisa Moore
This recipe calls for chickpea pasta, which is a low-effort way to incorporate more protein and fiber—but you can sub with regular or whole wheat.
Get the recipe here.
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Stephanie Le via I Am A Food Blog7 Miso Pasta Salad From I Am a Food Blog
The highlight of this dish is the unexpected dressing—made with white miso paste, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. It’s rich in umami flavor.
Get the recipe here.
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Vaishali Honawar via Holy Cow!8 Lentil and Pasta Salad From Holy Cow!
This salad is made with orzo pasta, French puy lentils (which can be subbed with green or brown), and spices like cumin, cinnamon, and smoked paprika.
Get the recipe here.
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Sue Pressey via My Korean Kitchen9 Korean Macaroni Salad From My Korean Kitchen
This macaroni salad is inspired by a restaurant dish that recipe author Sue Pressey used to eat growing up in South Korea. She recommends additions/substitutions like hard-boiled eggs, imitation crab, and apple.
Get the recipe here.
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Jeanine Donofrio via Love and Lemons10 Broccoli Pasta Salad From Love and Lemons
This is the pasta salad for when you’re craving a bowl full of bright, crunchy green things—blanched broccoli and green beans, and raw zucchini.
Get the recipe here.
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Aaron Hutcherson via The Hungry Hutch11 Dill Chicken Pasta Salad From The Hungry Hutch
This easy recipe calls for poached chicken breast (with a bonus leftover broth), fresh dill, and tricolor rotini, the noodle of choice for pasta salads.
Get the recipe here.
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Alice Choi via Hip Foodie Mom12 Summer Tortellini Pasta Salad From Hip Foodie Mom
Tortellini isn’t the typical choice here, but it’s just the ticket for upgrading a basic pasta salad into something more rich and filling.
Get the recipe here.
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Richa Hingle via Vegan Richa13 Cold Soba Noodle Salad With Sesame Lime Ginger Dressing From Vegan Richa
The pasta here is soba noodles—like spaghetti or ramen, but made with buckwheat. To bulk this up into a full meal, you can add edamame, baked tofu, and peanuts or cashews, per the recipe notes.
Get the recipe here.
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Jeanine Donofrio via Love and Lemons14 Vegan Pasta Salad From Love and Lemons
With tender navy beans, tons of fresh veggies and herbs, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a creamy tahini dressing, this vegan salad is sure to satisfy.
Get the recipe here.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen15 Street Corn Pasta Salad With Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese From Ambitious Kitchen
Charred corn is a quintessential summer ingredient, but you can swap in canned or frozen if need be (according to the recipe). There are no substitutions for this cilantro-cashew-lime-and-jalapeño pesto though!
Get the recipe here.
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Erin Clarke via Well Plated16 BLT Pasta Salad From Well Plated
Bacon in a pasta salad? Heck yes. The dressing for this BLT-inspired dish is half ranch, half Greek yogurt.
Get the recipe here.
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Richa Hingle via Vegan Richa17 Southwestern Pasta Salad With Black Bean Dressing From Vegan Richa
To make this unique dressing, you blend black beans with lime juice, nondairy milk, pickled jalapeño, nutritional yeast, and a bunch of spices.
Get the recipe here.
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Kate via Cookie + Kate18 Orange Orzo Salad With Almonds, Feta and Olives From Cookie + Kate
This scrumptious salad has a ton of tasty ingredients, like crunchy almonds, fragrant orange zest, tangy feta, briny Kalamata olives, sweet raisins, and fresh parsley.
Get the recipe here.
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Chelsie Craig via Bon Appétit19 Jammy Pepper Pasta Salad From Bon Appétit
Cooking Fresno chiles and bell peppers with oil, vinegar, and spices for a good while over low heat produces a sweet and spicy jam-like sauce. Use all bell peppers if you don’t like things too spicy.
Get the recipe here.
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Shawn Syphus via I Wash You Dry20 Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad From I Wash You Dry
Shell pasta is ideal for collecting pockets of cool and creamy dressing—a purée of ranch, avocado, lime juice, and cilantro.
Get the recipe here.
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Erin Clarke via Well Plated21 Shrimp Pasta Salad From Well Plated
This filling dish is full of protein from shrimp, peas, whole wheat noodles, and Greek yogurt (in the dressing).
Get the recipe here.
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Alice Choi via Hip Foodie Mom22 Power Pasta Salad From Hip Foodie Mom
Get several servings of veggies in with this quick pasta salad, dressed simply with oil and vinegar—mixed greens, shredded carrots, red cabbage, and cherry tomatoes.
Get the recipe here.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen23 Peach, Tomato & Corn Arugula Pasta Salad From Ambitious Kitchen
Showcase the best of summer produce in this bright salad, bursting with ripe and juicy fruits and veggies. You can sub goat cheese for the feta.
Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell24 Caprese Pasta Salad From SELF
A low-effort pasta salad bursting with classic caprese flavors—tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella.
Get the recipe here.
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Dana and John Shultz via Minimalist Baker25 Penne Pasta Salad From Minimalist Baker
This super-simple recipe is just pasta and cherry tomatoes slathered in a homemade basil–pine nut pesto.
Get the recipe here.
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Alex Lau via Bon Appétit26 Romesco Pasta Salad With Basil and Parmesan From Bon Appétit
You’ll fall in love with this romesco sauce—a pesto-like purée of roasted red peppers (from a jar), lemon juice, olive oil, toasted walnuts, garlic, and red pepper.
Get the recipe here.
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Shawn Syphus via I Wash You Dry27 Thai Chicken Pasta Salad From I Wash You Dry
You’ll need to pick up a rotisserie chicken to make this meal-worthy pasta salad, dressed with a velvety mixture of peanut butter, coconut milk, and lime juice.
Get the recipe here.
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Jeanine Donofrio via Love and Lemons28 Easy Macaroni Salad From Love and Lemons
Add some zing to your standard macaroni salad with briny capers or diced dill pickles, plus plenty of fresh dill and parsley.
Get the recipe here.
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Shawn Syphus via I Wash You Dry29 Avocado Caprese Pasta Salad From I Wash You Dry
Classic caprese salad ingredients get an upgrade with the addition of ditalini, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumber.
Get the recipe here.
