Our cold salad with pasta and potatoes is easily adapted by using just the vegetables and meats your family prefers.
It has a delicious Italian homemade dressing poured over and soaks in this medley that will wow your family and friends and make a terrific one-bowl side dish.
Simple to throw together and leave it chunky so the pickiest of eaters can push those items aside easily if they just don't care for some of the additions.
This is such a great alternative to Classic all-American-style Potato Salad.
If you are a potato fan, you may want to try two other favorites, Air Fried Potato Fan or Oven-Roasted, and our Salt and Vinegar Potato recipes.
Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for how to make this great recipe!
Potato Pasta Salad Step-by-Step Recipe
- Boil cubed potatoes and the pasta separately then drain
- In the meantime made the salad dressing and set it aside
- Cut up the vegetables and meats you prefer and add to a big bowl
- Toss and coat with the salad dressing refrigerate for 2 hours for the best flavors
- Great for tailgate parties, beach, and picnics, plus it's the perfect side dish with any meal!
Shopping List
- cubed boiled potatoes (we use russet potatoes skins removed)
- pitted large black olive or kalamata olives
- green pimento olives
- pasta any shape or brand
- granulated garlic powder
- minced fresh garlic
- bell pepper
- finely chopped carrots
- sweet relish
- salt, pepper, and if you like heat cayenne pepper
Dressing for Salad Shopping List:
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine or balsamic vinegar
- minced garlic
- granulated garlic powder
- dried basil, oregano, and parsley note: use fresh when possible
- salt and pepper to taste
- cayenne pepper is optional
Mix-In Ideas
- chickpeas drained
- chopped celery
- tomatoes of any kind diced or use grape
- finely chopped onions
- sliced radishes
- fresh spinach
- cabbage slaw
- fresh peas
- cubed avocado
- corn cut off the cob
- chopped fresh broccoli
- julienne carrot
- hot peppers
- cherry peppers
- hard or genoa salami
- extra sharp provolone cubed or any cheese you prefer in chunks
- shredded Parmesan or Pecorino long strands
- pepperoni
- dried sausage
- prosciutto
- hot capicola chopped
- artichoke hearts
- hearts of palm
- raw zucchini cubes or other squash
- arugula, or cooked escarole
- cauliflower or broccoli florets
- any canned beans, white, red, black, chickpeas
- pepperoncini
- cucumber chopped seeds removed
- any kinds of deli meats
- add fresh herbs when available IE" basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, oregano, mint, etc.
Try Some Of Our Other Favorite Recipes
Best Potato Roundup
Festive Potato Salad
Southwest Potato Salad
German Potato Salad
Tips
- Keep salads cold by placing ice in a ziplock bag in another bowl and setting your salad on top when eating outdoors
- Add pepperoni, chunks of ham-crumbled bacon, or sliced Italian sausage for a meat lovers' salad
- Other vegetables or fruits like apples, chopped raw broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cucumbers, and artichoke hearts are all nice additions
- Try mixing greens baby greens, spinach, and shredded red cabbage all nice additions also
- Make a creamy garlic parmesan dressing for a change or use whatever you prefer
- Use any kind of pasta smaller than large styles
- Croutons can be served on top
- Assorted olives make this colorful also
- Any kind of fresh snap peas, green beans, or chickpeas are perfect in this salad
- Use fresh lemon greek style dressing for a change or blue cheese
- To keep potatoes from browning while cut to keep them in cold water and lemon juice also brush the avocado if using with lime or lemon juice after cutting
Italian Potato Pasta Salad Pin for later
Create your own
Mix and match whatever your family likes and adapt away keep it simple or step it up a notch to a gourmet.
These two together are the perfect alternative instead of making two dishes and eliminating pasta salad and potato salad by adding them together in one big bowl.
Perfect for that outdoor picnic kept on ice and a side dish that goes with any barbecue and meal you're cooking up!.
We usually place the bowl on a ziplock bag of ice, so it will stay perfectly cold and safe no matter what you add to your salad including meats!.
This salad tastes great even after a few days as the dressing melds into the vegetables, pasta, and potatoes it's so delicious.
Yield: 10
Italian Potato Pasta Salad
A combination of pasta and potatoes with whatever else you prefer to add to this salad. Always a big hit as a side dish for picnics, and barbecues and is perfect for a day at the beach.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 22 MinTotal time: 37 Min
Ingredients
- Potato Pasta Salad:
- note: recipe can be doubled along with the salad dressing
- 6 to 8 cubed boiled potatoes drained with skins on or off your preference
- 2 cups dry pasta cooked al dente (any shape of brand) drained not rinsed
- 1 cup of pitted large black olive or kalamata olives
- 1 cup pimento-stuffed olives
- 1 clove minced fresh garlic
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped
- 3 or 4 fingerling carrots put through a food processor in small pieces
- 1 bell pepper finely diced
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- salt, and pepper to taste
- cayenne pepper if preferred for heat
- Optional Additional Mix-in Suggestions: diced tomatoes, chopped celery, finely chopped onions, sliced radishes, fresh spinach, cabbage slaw, fresh peas, cubed avocado, corn cut off the cob, chopped fresh broccoli, julienne carrots, hot peppers, cherry peppers, genoa, or hard salami, provolone cubed, pepperoni, dried Italian sausage, prosciutto, hot capicola chopped. Artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, cooked artichoke, cooked or raw zucchini cubes or other squash, arugula or cooked escarole, freshly cooked beans of any kind, fresh cauliflower or broccoli florets.
- Dressing:
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano, and parsley use fresh when possible
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for heat is optional
Instructions
- Potato Pasta Salad:
- Boil the potatoes cubed in salt water and drain.
- Boil the pasta to package instructions in salt water al dente and drain do not rinse.
- In the meantime made the salad dressing and set it aside see below.
- Place all the pasta, potatoes, vegetables, minced garlic, and meats you're using into a large bowl with the seasonings, pickle relish, olives left whole, diced peppers, and carrots (add or substitute any other additions you prefer from our list of options) just toss together.
- Add in the dressing below and mix until coated.
- This can be served immediately or refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Note: this salad tastes best after refrigerated for 2 hours or overnight.
- Dressing:
- Using a whisk place all the dressing ingredients together until combined (a mason jar works great and you can just shake it also until blended).
- In a large enough bowl to accommodate all the vegetables, you have chosen for your salad, toss with the dressing and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
- You can double this recipe if you added more vegetables to your bowl with the options given.
- Note: 2 tablespoons lemon juice: toss the raw cubed potatoes in the cold water and the juice to keep from browning or slicing fresh avocado if using just use lime or lemon juice to keep it fresh and green
Notes
Mix-In Ideas
- chickpeas drained
- chopped celery
- tomatoes of any kind diced or use grape tomatoes
- finely chopped onions
- sliced radishes
- fresh spinach
- cabbage slaw
- fresh peas
- cubed avocado
- corn cut off the cob
- chopped fresh broccoli
- julienne carrot
- hot peppers
- cherry peppers
- hard or genoa salami
- extra sharp provolone cubed or any cheese you prefer in chunks
- shredded Parmesan or Pecorino long strands
- pepperoni
- dried sausage
- prosciutto
- hot capicola chopped
- artichoke hearts
- hearts of palm
- raw zucchini cubes or other squash
- arugula, or cooked escarole
- cauliflower or broccoli florets
- any canned beans, white, red, black, chickpeas
- pepperoncini
- cucumber chopped seeds removed
- any kinds of deli meats
- add fresh herbs when available IE" basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, oregano, mint, etc.
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Italian Potato Pasta Salad Pin for later
More Recipes To Try:
Best Potato Side Dishes
Air Fried Home Fries
Loaded Boiled Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes