During warm weather, salads like this Mediterranean Penne Pasta Salad are a tasty choice that you can enjoy as a side dish or an entrée. Serve it as a light lunch, as a side dish at your next backyard barbecue or as a main dish meal at the end of a busy day. It’s bright, fresh and packed with flavor.

Easy Mediterranean Penne Pasta Salad Recipe

This pasta salad features cubes of mozzarella cheese, ham, red onion, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives and crisp steamed asparagus, tossed with a robust Italian dressing. For this Mediterranean inspired delight there’s no mayonnaise but rather, the tangy bright flavors of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and Italian seasonings instead. Easy dishes like this pasta salad can be personalized to suit your taste. How to make Mediterranean Penne Pasta Salad: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

Pasta – Cook the penne pasta in salted water per the instructions on the box, until al dente. Drain well then add to a medium-size mixing bowl.
Steam Asparagus – Remove the tough portion of the asparagus stem then steam until crisp tender. Slice into 1- inch pieces.
Combine – To the bowl add the sliced asparagus, mozzarella cheese, ham, cherry tomatoes, onion, olives. dressing, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to the cooked pasta. Mix until the ingredients are well coated. Taste and add salt and black pepper to your taste.
Refrigerate – Place the bowl into the refrigerator and allow to chill covered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, stir well and adjust the salt and black pepper to your taste.
Pour into a serving bowl. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and basil ribbons just before serving.

How to Make the BEST Mediterranean Penne Pasta Salad

Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Mediterranean Penne Pasta Salad: Penne pasta, asparagus, ham, black olives, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, bottled Italian salad dressing, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, fresh basil and red onion.
Kitchen tools you’ll need: Pasta pot, cheese grater, large bowl, measuring cups and spoons, sharp knife and chopping board.
While I adore mayonnaise, it’s nice to depart from the norm sometimes and enjoy the fresh flavors of an oil and vinegar based dressing, instead. You can use your favorite brand of prepared Italian salad dressing for this recipe.
If preferred, you could use another type of tubular pasta for this recipe. Such as rigatoni or even jumbo elbow macaroni with ridges. Pasta with ridges tends to hold onto the dressing more easily.
When cooking the penne pasta, cook it in salted water per the package instructions until al dente. Don’t overcook it or it can become mushy.
The rainbow of ingredients in this salad actually become more robust when made the night before allowing the flavors to marry. Pop it into the fridge and let it marinade and fully combine.
To garnish this salad, place it into a pretty serving dish and then sprinkle it with grated Parmesan cheese and ribbons of fresh basil just before serving.
If you prefer to make your own Italian dressing take a peek at this homemade Italian dressing recipe from Family Food on the Table. Keep in mind, the point of this salad is to keep things easy hence the reason I developed it using a quality prepared salad dressing. Either way, it’s delicious.
Store Penne Pasta Salad chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes to Make

If you’re a fan of pasta salads in any way shape or form, you may also like try my recipes for:

Italian Penne Pasta Salad is dressed with a creamy dressing.
Greek Pasta Salad features fresh flavors perfect for grilling and picnics.
BLT Penne Pasta Layered Salad is a stunning addition to any meal.
This Homestyle Macaroni Salad is a family favorite.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is a complete meal on a busy day.
The family will flip for this Italian Spaghetti Salad.

Thanks for visiting come back soon!

Disclosure ~ If a purchase is made using one of the affiliate links on this website we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Helpful Kitchen Items:

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe