Summer Pasta Salad Ingredients to Upgrade Your Next BBQ

If you're looking for a go-to pasta salad, I got your back. I make this pasta salad almost weekly during the summer season and bring it to every summer barbecue.

The ingredients are flexible, so you can swap out what you like and don’t like, but the two core essentials you need are McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning and Italian dressing.

Pasta salad ingredients

The pasta salad ingredients I use...

1. Sliced mini cucumbers

2. Diced grape tomatoes

3. Chopped garlic

4. Tri-color rotini pasta (12 oz)

5. Sliced black olives (10.5 oz)

6. McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning (3 tbsp)

7. Wishbone Robust Italian Dressing (7.5 oz)

Bonus ingredients

• Sharp cheddar cheese diced into cubes

• Hard salami (or pepperoni) diced into cubes

• Chickpeas rinsed

Side note: The hubby always asks where the salami and cheese are when I skip.

Instructions

1. Add the pasta to salted boiling water

2. Rinse and chop your vegetables

3. Prep your extra ingredients

4. Drain and rinse pasta in cool water

5. Mix your veggies and pasta together

6. Shake the McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning to your salad and stir

7. Add half a bottle of Wishbone Robust Italian Dressing and stir

8. Let the pasta salad cool in the fridge for at least an hour to let the ingredients absorb the flavor

9. Give it a good stir before serving. You might want to add a little more dressing at this point if you feel your salad is a little dry.
   

Tips on veggie prep

A pasta salad is simple and you can't really go wrong with the prep. But, there are some things to keep in mind when picking your ingredient and prepping them for your salad.

🍅 Dice the grape tomatoes

Dice the tomatoes in halves or quarters so the flavor soaks into the veggie. The juices from the tomatoes help blend flavor in your salad.

🥒 Slice the mini cucumbers

Mini cucumbers are the best because the seeds are small and don't get soggy like larger cucumbers do. A quick slice and you have bite size veggies that add a fun shape to your salad.

🧄 Chop the garlic

Fresh chopped garlic will add a punch of flavor to your salad. You could use garlic powder or skip if you want a more mild flavor.

🫒 Rinse the olives

Always rinse your canned olives to reduce the amount sodium and to clean off any residue from the preservatives.

Season to taste

The McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning is a necessary ingredient for this pasta salad. It adds such a yummy flavor that really makes this pasta salad stand out.

When in doubt, use more 😉

A light coating of Italian dressing

I've used a variety of Italian dressings over time and I always go back to the WishBone Zesty Robusto Italian Dressing. I use about a half a bottle to make sure everything is lightly coated — try not to make it soupy.

This pasta salad is a summer favorite, great for weekly meals or barbecues, with flexible ingredients for customization. Just prep, mix, chill for an hour, and enjoy a flavorful, refreshing dish.