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Gluten-free Italian Pasta Salad

Gluten-free pasta salad with rotini or penne tossed in Italian dressing, loaded with salami, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion. This Italian salad gets rinsed and chilled for a firm, non-mushy texture before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

gluten-free pasta
  • 1 lb gluten-free pasta (rotini or penne)
salami
  • 8 oz salami, cubed
mozzarella cheese
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
cucumber
  • 1 cup cucumber, diced
black olives
  • 0.5 cup black olives, sliced
red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
Italian dressing
  • 1 cup gluten-free Italian dressing
Parmesan cheese
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook gluten-free pasta according to package directions (it may take longer than regular pasta), until tender. Drain thoroughly and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and keep the pasta from getting soft.
Build the salad
  1. Combine pasta, salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion in a large bowl. Toss until the mix is evenly distributed.
  2. Add Italian dressing, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning and toss to coat every piece of pasta. Mix until the pasta looks lightly glossy with dressing and the cheese is suspended throughout.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust so the salad has balanced saltiness throughout.
Chill and finish
  1. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Chill until the pasta salad feels firm and the flavors meld.
  2. Toss again right before serving and adjust dressing if needed. The salad should look evenly dressed rather than dry at the bottom of the bowl.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the gluten-free pasta well after draining—this helps prevent mushiness and keeps a scoopable texture. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (freeze not recommended due to the cheese and fresh vegetables). For a dairy-light option, use a reduced-fat mozzarella and swap Parmesan for a hard vegetarian/grated substitute that still melts and flavors similarly.