Italian Chopped Pasta Salad: The Ultimate Potluck Winner (7 Easy Steps)
A vibrant, hearty pasta salad loaded with Italian flavors. Tender rotini pasta is tossed with crisp bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, salami, fresh mozzarella, chickpeas, olives, and pepperoncini, all coated in a zesty red wine vinaigrette. This make-ahead salad is perfect for potlucks, picnics, meal prep, or anytime you need a crowd-pleasing side dish that gets better as it sits.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (pasta only)
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes (including minimum rest)
- Yield: 8-10 servings as side dish, 4-6 as main course
- Category: Side Dish, Salad, Main Course
- Method: Boiling, Chopping, Mixing
- Cuisine: American, Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 lb rotini or fusilli pasta
- 6 oz Genoa salami, diced
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup pepperoncini, sliced
- ¾ cup kalamata olives, halved
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp pepperoncini brine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring salted water to boil. Cook pasta until just al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool. Drain thoroughly.
- Prep vegetables: While pasta cools, dice all vegetables into bite-sized pieces (about ½-inch). Quarter tomatoes, dice cucumber and bell peppers, finely dice onion, slice pepperoncini, halve olives, chop herbs.
- Prep proteins: Dice salami into small cubes. If using mozzarella ball, cube it; if using pearls, leave whole. Drain and rinse chickpeas.
- Make dressing: In a jar or bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, pepperoncini brine, garlic, mustard, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Shake or whisk vigorously until emulsified.
- Assemble salad: In a large bowl, combine pasta, salami, mozzarella, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, pepperoncini, and olives. Add ¾ of the dressing and toss thoroughly for 2-3 minutes. Add basil, parsley, and Parmesan. Toss again.
- Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably 4 hours or overnight for best flavor.
- Serve: Let salad come to room temperature 15-20 minutes before serving. Toss again, add remaining dressing if needed. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with extra basil and Parmesan.
Notes
- Use pasta shapes with ridges (rotini, fusilli) to catch dressing
- Cook pasta al dente—it will soften more in the dressing
- Start with less dressing; pasta absorbs it as it sits
- Salad tastes best 4-24 hours after making
- Cut all ingredients to similar bite-sized pieces
- Can be made up to 2 days ahead; add fresh herbs before serving
- For vegetarian version, omit salami and add more chickpeas/vegetables