Gluten-Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
Published
This creamy Italian pasta salad is my go-to for cookouts, potlucks, and easy summer dinners. It’s quick to throw together and perfect for prepping ahead, so I can focus on the grill while it chills. Made with gluten-free pasta, it’s loaded with fresh, vibrant flavors, briny olives, and tossed in a tangy, creamy Italian dressing.
I adore pasta salad—really, anything pasta—and nothing says summer more than a big bowl of it. I’m all about the creamy versions, mostly because the dressing clings to the noodles in a way that totally reminds me of Alfredo. This gluten-free creamy Italian pasta salad is made with my homemade dressing using real mayo, two kinds of vinegar, my own Italian seasoning blend, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Mix in your favorite Italian veggies, and you’ll have a pasta salad that I promise no one will ever know is gluten-free. It’s ready in less than 20 minutes.
Gluten-Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box gluten-free Rotini or Penne pasta, I like Barilla gluten-free pasta.
- 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts*, drained and chopped
- 1 cup black olives
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, diced
- 1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
- Fresh chopped basil, optional
Creamy Italian Dressing
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup mayonnaise, (I am a Hellman’s girl)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring water to a rolling boil. Add salt, olive oil and pasta to the water and cook to box directions for al dente. If the pasta is cooked too long, it will fall apart when you're mixing the salad.
- After draining the pasta, rinse pasta with cold water.
- Add pasta to a large bowl and stir in artichokes hearts, black olives, grape tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers.
- In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Add the dressing to pasta and stir until fully coated. Garnish with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Creamy Italian Pasta Salad Step by Step
Gather the ingredients: Gather all the ingredients together.
Cook and cool the pasta: Bring water to a boil and add a large pinch of salt and 1 tsp olive oil to the boiling water. Add 1 (12 oz) box of gluten-free rotini or penne to the water and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta immediately and rinse it with cool water to prevent it from cooking further. If cooked too long, it will fall apart when you’re mixing the salad.
Combine the ingredients: Pour the chilled pasta into a large serving bowl. Stir in 1 (14 oz) can of chopped and drained artichoke hearts, 1 cup black olives, 1 cup grape tomatoes, 1 cup diced mozzarella cheese, 1 cup diced roasted red peppers, and fresh chopped basil (if using).
Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp marjoram, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Stir to fully combine.
Add the dressing to the pasta: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and stir to fully coat all the ingredients.
Serve and enjoy: Garnish with freshly chopped basil, serve, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This is the perfect gluten-free creamy Italian pasta salad for your next cookout or family get-together. I love serving it alongside other sides like gluten-free potato salad and corn on the cob, and it goes great with anything hot off the grill. It’s great for backyard parties, summer potlucks, or even as a make-ahead lunch on a hot day. I usually make a big batch and keep the leftovers in the fridge for easy meals all week long.
Storage Instructions
This pasta salad is even better the next day. Make sure to store it in an airtight container and in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to give it a quick stir before serving again, since the dressing can settle a bit as it sits.
If the pasta has soaked up too much of the dressing, just add a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of extra dressing to freshen it up. This salad is best served chilled, so no need to reheat—just grab a fork and enjoy straight from the fridge.
More Gluten-Free Pasta Dishes
- Gluten-Free Boursin Cheese Pasta
- Almond Flour Pasta
- Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta
- Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi
Our Creamy Italian Pasta Salad recipe was originally published 6/26/17. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 5/27/25.
Hello- did anyone have trouble with the pasta becoming crunchy or hard the next day? Just wondering because everything else was a huge hit!
This pasta tastes amazing my family refers to it as crack pasta because it is craved so much by them😂 I bake chicken sometimes using the creamy Italian dressing and it also loved. Thank you for this recipe, it’s nice to have an Italian dressing recipe that I can make from spices in my cupboard that my daughter who is gluten free can enjoy.
Your dressing knocks this one outta the ballpark! My gosh, so flavorful. One can add, subtract the salad ingredients but as long as you make the dressing as printed – you have an absolute winner. This is going to play a regular leading role in our daily menus from now on! Thanks so much!!!!!
We made this on a camping trip and absolutely loved it! Perfect for the end of a busy and very warm day. Thanks, Audrey!!
Just made this recipe for pasta salad & it is delicious! Thank you! Taking it to a family gathering today of my Italian family who still don’t understand gluten free. I’m sure this will be a hit.
made this for a summer party. I made up the dressing just as it is on the recipe. way to much salt . Taste before you add if you like a lot of salt go for it . I redid it with out salt and add about 1/2 tsp. in perfect for me .
This salad is excellent, making it again for Memorial day. The combination of veggies, pasta and that creamy dressing is delicious. I added some pepperoni to please my carnivore husband. The star of this show is the creamy Italian dressing. Fabulous. Barilla gf pasta stayed soft and fresh for several days. This is a winner!
I made this salad for the second time today.
The first time was for a gathering at church and it was very well received!
I had bought enough ingredients to make it again for us but it makes a lot :)) so will be packaging some of it up to share with our elderly neighbors.
Then plan on making it again for a family reunion camping trip this summer.
It is truly a wonderful recipe!!!
My family loved this salad! I made some with gluten free pasta and some with wheat pasta. They were both delicious. Everyone asked for the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Just made this for a bbq later and I cannot wait to eat this. I “tasted” it a few times to make sure it’s good for my friends 😂 So so delicious!!!
Delicious!!! First time making it and it will be on repeat!! The dressing is addicting 🙂
made it today for the dressing and it’s really tasty! I love more of a creamier dressing. so I’ll be using this again and again! can’t wait to share with others tomorrow for NYE.
I made this yesterday for a potluck today. It was so good. A friend is gluten free, which is whyI made it. She said it was delicious. Thank you for a good, easy recipe.
My whole family LOVED this pasta salad! Definitely a 5-star recipe for taste and ease. Thank you @mamaknowsglutenfree!
Came across this recipe when searching for side dishes to take to a BBQ.. Need a recipe that was gluten free for me and for my daughter who has food allegeries. This was very good. Even my husband loved it and he is not gluten free or food allegeries. Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Didn’t have olives so I used chopped broccoli florets and added shredded carrot. Best pasta salad I’ve ever tasted! 👌🏼
Thank you so much for creating delicious alternative recipes. I made the Creamy Italian vegan glutten free dairy free pasta on Christmas Eve. I have made it 3 times since then because everyone lives it so much. I just had my brother in law asked for your recipe Because it was such a big hit when they came over. Thank you.
Hands down best pasta salad !
I love this salad! It’s easy and delicious.
This is a wonderful salad! We’re dairy free, gluten free and egg free- I used the Jovial rotini pasta for the first time and it was delicious. For the dressing I used vegan mayo and nutritional yeast cans our cheese chunks on the side for those who wanted it, I also added uncured hard salami and just used the veggies we had on hand….Just. Wow! Thank you for sharing this! Whoop you won’t be disappointed in this one try it y’all! Rhonda in Texas
We loved this recipe! I did double double the dressing for the recipe. Everyone raved about it at the picnic I brought it to yesterday! Not much was left over!
Audrey,do have any idea why my pasta in salads always turn hard over nigh? Happens every time, even does the same to the ones my daughter makes. This didn’t happen to my gluten full days. I think I’ve searched the universe to try to find the answer. I do use mostly barilla. Also, maybe silly question but is the parmesian in dressing fresh or from the shaker container, thanks so much for your wonderful recipes, Linda
Hi Linda! You could try cooking the pasta al dente. Then after you drain the pasta, run some cold water over it while it is in the colander. I use Barilla gluten-free pasta. I used shaker-style parmesan cheese in the dressing. Thank you so much for your kind words!
I was told by the people of Jovial pasta to cook an additional 2 minutes if you’re using it for a cold pasta dish. It works!
I “nearly” overcook the pasta – [no where near mushy] and I find it doesn’t get hard…
Try it 🙂
Thank you for the details of your recipes, it is most helpful. This was the best pasta salad we have ever made at home. Keep those inspirations and pictures of your food coming! Your gluten free recipes have all been delicious and easy to make with ingredients that are not unheard of. Thank you again for your sharing and caring😁
Made this for supper yesterday. It was a hit. Loved the mix of ingredients, went well with bbqed honey garlic sausage. Delicious! Saving this one!
Tried this tonight, switched out mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, switched out sugar with honey and added a half an avocado in the dressing for a “healthy” twist. Was super yummy; the whole family loved it! Will be a regular on our dinner rotation for sure! Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is so good! Only thing I did different is the veggies because of what I had in my fridge. The dressing is to die for!
This was so very good. I used different veggies because of what I had on hand, but the star of the show is the dressing. It was excellent. I used Banza Rotini and it was perfect in the salad also. Thanks for posting this. It will be a regular on our lunch schedule.
Delicious. I used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 greek yogurt and ~1/2 the parmesan in the dressing and sprinkled 1/4 cup over salad. I will make the dressing again for green salads as well, yum. My husband doesn’t like olives so I added additional veggies (cucumbers, par-boiled brocollini and cauliflower), grated carrots. Was a hit at the BBQ.
This pasta salad is the best I’ve ever had! The dressing is soo good. Next time I might make a double batch of the dressing to use on a green salad as well!
I made this Creamy Italian Dressing this weekend, minus the Parmesan cheese since I am also dairy free. It was DELICIOUS! I served with a green salad instead of the pasta. It is definitely a keeper!!
Thank you so much Diane for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the dressing and the recipe is a keeper. Thank you again!
what proteins would you recommend to add to the salad. pepperoni. salami etc..?
I must say I have tried a lot of pasta salads, and the dressing from this recipe made it absolutely the best! I only looked for a gluten-free recipe for my mom because she has celiac, but I wasn’t expecting to love it. I will make this one over and over. It’s the best of all recipes I have tried! It’s a keeper.
Thank you so much Gina for the awesome 5-star recipe review, it really made my day! I am so happy that you enjoy the pasta salad and it’s the best recipe you have tried. Thank you again!
What would be a good substitute for the artichoke hearts. I love them but have some friends who don’t.
Hi Pat! You can use any vegetable in place of the artichoke hearts. I hope everyone enjoys the pasta salad!
Hi Audrey. Can you use fresh herbs and garlic and onion in the dressing recipe please? Thanks sounds delicious.
Hi Katherine! You can use fresh herbs in the dressing recipe. I hope you enjoy the pasta salad!
If I want to make this the day before a party, do you suggest putting the dressing on before refrigerating or adding the dressing before serving?
Hi Anitra! I would add the dressing before and refrigerate. I actually think this salad is better the second day. Just make sure to make that you use a good gluten-free pasta. I like Barilla gluten-free pasta the best. I hope you enjoy the pasta salad!
Great thanks! Do you recommend serving cold or at room temp?
Hi Anitra! I think it really depends on personal preference. I hope everyone enjoys it!
Excellent! And I discovered artichoke bottoms. So much more meat than the hearts. I roasted one large pepper which equaled one cup diced perfect. Great-great-great recipe!
Thank you so much May for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the pasta salad. I am going to have to look for artichoke bottoms. I love artichokes. Thank you again!
Have you ever made this dressing to use on a green salad? How long does does it keep in the fridge?
My son is Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar- free, and I would love to try this dressing for him, as he loves salad. We haven’t found a good ranch dressing either.
Hi Megan! This salad dressing would be great on a green salad, but you would have to use dairy-free parmesan cheese or leave the parmesan cheese out of it. It should keep well in the fridge because it’s mayonnaise based. I do have a dairy-free ranch dressing I use on my potato salad that you could try also. https://www.mamaknowsglutenfree.com/loaded-bacon-ranch-potato-salad-gluten-free-dairy-free-option
Does the pasta hold up well after making and storing in the refrigerator. If I wanted to make a day ahead would the pasta get mushy?
Hi Mary! I’ve never had a problem with the pasta getting mushy. I always use Barilla gluten-free pasta and I make sure to follow the cooking directions on the box. I’ve enjoyed the leftovers for several days. I hope you try it and enjoy it!
We loved this sooooooooooooooooooo much. The dressing reminded me of this Parmesan sauce Arby’s used to have on a turkey sandwich ages ago. In fact I spread it on a grilled turkey & Italian cheeses sandwich and I wanted a second sandwich.
Thank you so much Prudy! This makes my heart so happy. The dressing really does make this salad. I’ll have to try in on a sandwich. I remember the good ole days when I could eat Arby’s too.
This pasta salad was so amazing! I especially loved the dressing!
Thank you so much Jennifer!
This salad contains all of my favorite ingredients in one bowl. The flavors are fantastic and I love making up a big bowl in the beginning of the week and enjoying it for lunch during the week. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much Joanie! It’s one of my favorite pasta salads too. I love making enough that I can have lunch during the week as well.
It was easy to make. Everyone loved it for Christmas Dinner. I even took it to work for my coworkers and they loved it as well.
Hi Andra! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pasta salad. It really makes my heart happy to hear this. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.
That looks really yummy! We will have to give it a try!
Thank you! It’s so easy to make too!
My daughter absolutely loves this recipe she even wanted it for breakfast 😂 I am so glad you provide these recipes it is very helpful being new to not knowing how to cook for a celiac kid is ruff thank u so much