17 Unique Pasta Salads with Meat Recipes

PASTA SALAD

• 1 pound mini farfalle or other small pasta such as rigatoni or shells
• 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey see note
• 1 4 oz. can mild diced green chiles
• 1 tsp EACH chili powder, ground cumin
• ¾ tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, salt (omit salt if using ground turkey and bouillon)
• 4-6 tablespoons diced canned/pickled jalapeno peppers (from 4 oz. can)
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 15 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
• corn from 1 ear sweet corn
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ small red onion chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ½ pound thick center cut bacon cooked and chopped

DRESSING

• ⅓ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup sour cream may sub plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup salsa medium if you like a kick
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
• ¼ tsp EACH smoked paprika, salt, pepper
• Hot sauce/Tabasco to taste

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Meat Lovers Pasta Salad

• ¾ lb pasta, I used fusilli cooked according to the package directions
• ½ inch slice of salami, cut in cubes (approximately ¼ lb)
• ½ inch slice of sopressata, cut in cubes (approximately ¼ lb)
• ½ inch slice of ham, cut in cubes (approximately ¼ lb)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 small Persian cucumber, or ⅓ of an English cucumber, diced
• ⅓ red onion, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• ⅓ cup black olives, sliced
• a few radishes, if you have them, quartered
• 1 cup feta cheese, cut in small cubes
• handful fresh thyme and oregano, leaves

DRESSING

• ½ cup good olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 6 tablespoon champagne vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salad

• 12 ounces rotini cooked to al dente + 1 minute, according to package directions
• 1 pounds roasted turkey ¼- to ½-inch cubes
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese ¼- to ½-inch cubes
• 1 pounds grapes
• ½ cup chopped walnuts toasted
• 2 stalks celery ¼-inch cubes
• sprigs fresh mint optional; garnish

Citrus Dressing

• ⅔ cup fresh orange juice juice from ~2 large oranges
• 1 teaspoon orange zest zest from 1 large orange
• ⅓ cup honey
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Chicken

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 lemon - juiced
• ½ lemon - zested
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme - chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh oregano - chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh parsley - chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary - chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 chicken breasts

To Make the Homemade Dressing

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon - juiced
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 3 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley - chopped
• salt and pepper - to taste

For the Tortellini Salad

• 10 oz cheese tortellini - cooked to al dente
• ½ red onion - diced
• 1 English cucumber - peeled, quartered, diced
• 1 green bell pepper - seeded and diced
• 1 red bell pepper - seeded and diced
• 10 ounces cherry tomatoes - halved
• ½ cup pitted kalamata olives - roughly chopped
• 4 ounces feta cheese - crumbled
• salt and pepper - to taste
• fresh oregano - to garnish

• 8 oz (227 g) ditalini pasta - uncooked
• ½ medium red bell pepper - chopped
• ½ cup (80 g) red onion - chopped
• 1 celery stalk - chopped
• 2 green onions - chopped
• 2 teaspoon (1 g) fresh Italian parsley - chopped
• 1¼ cup (280 g) mayonnaise
• ¼ cup (58 g) sour cream
• 2 tablespoon (30 g) dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoon (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon (3 g) garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon (1 g) cayenne pepper - or to taste
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) chicken bouillon powder - optional
• 1½ cup (140 g) cooked chicken breast - shredded
• sea salt and cracked black pepper - to taste

• 16 ounces short pasta, e.g. macaroni, farfalle, fusilli
• 2 bell peppers
• 2 tomatoes
• 7 ounces black forest ham
• 1 small red onion, optional
• 5 baby dill pickles
• 2 tablespoons pickle juice
• 5 tablespoons mayo, more to taste
• 4 tablespoons yogurt
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

• 20 oz frozen tortellini
• 1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup Castelvetrano olives, smashed and pitted
• 4 oz deli sliced Genoa salami, chopped 
• 4 oz deli sliced pepperoni, chopped
• 8 oz mozzarella pearls, drained  
• 2 tablespoon pepperoncini peppers, diced
• ½ medium green bell pepper, diced 
• 1 cup your favorite bottled Italian dressing
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and fresh ground black, pepper to taste 

Beef Pasta Salad Ingredients

• 16 Oz. Gemelli Pasta Cooked, drained, rinsed, and cooled
• 1 head Cauliflower Clean and diced into small florets
• 13 Oz. Peas Can be fresh or frozen (thaw first)
• 7 Oz. Baby Swiss Cheese diced
• 8 Oz. Pepper Jack Cheese diced
• 2 Lbs. Smoked Beef diced

Salad Dressing

• 3 Cups Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
• ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ Cup Milk
• 3 Tbl. Rice Vinegar

For pesto pasta salad:

• 227 grams of dried pasta (8oz)
• ¾ cup pesto sauce
• 1 large lemon just the juice
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced
• 1.5 cups cucumber quartered (about 1 medium English cucumber)
• ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
• ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
• 2 cups spinach loosely chopped

Optional add-ins:

• ¼ cup sundried tomatoes sliced
• ¼ cup jarred artichokes sliced
• Fresh basil leaves

For chicken:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tsp italian spice blend
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional