Top 12 best pasta salad recipes

A fresh dish and cutlery to suit every season

The pasta salad is perfect for summer meals and events, but it’s also a delicious cold dish salad any time of year! Try one of these delicious pasta salads with your next cookout or family meal.

01 of 12

Tex-Mex Flavored Macaroni and Black Applesauce Tex-Mex Pasta Salad. Diana Rattray

This pasta salad is full of surprises, with Tex-Mex'i flavors, black beans, corn and a variety of chopped Vegetable Recipes. Use macaroni or a similar pasta for the salad. The dressing is a mayonnaise-based mix, plus southwestern seasonings and lime juice. The salad is great on burgers, fajitas or grilled steaks.

02 of 12

Odom and macaroni salad Odom and macaroni salad. Diana Rattray

A simple mayonnaise dressing flavors this delicious lobster macaroni salad. Lobster is the star of this salad!

03 of 12

Macaroni Salad with Cheese and Ham Diana Rattray

Baked or shredded cheese and baked ham are combined with cooked macaroni, peppers and onions with a simple mayonnaise dressing. If you like, add cooked fresh or frozen peas.

04 of 12

BLT Macaroni Salad with Bacon BLT Macaroni Salad. Diana Rattray

This BLT macaroni salad is filled with crumbled bacon and hard-boiled eggs. The salad is topped with shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Add grilled chicken for a hearty main dish salad.

05 of 12

Tuna pasta salad with dill Tuna pasta salad with dill. Diana Rattray This is a tasty pasta salad that’s perfect as a soup for an everyday lunch, or serve it as a chilled dish when you cook it next. The combination of mayonnaise, lemon juice, sour cream, garlic and dill helps to flavour the pasta salad.

06 of 12

Garden Pasta Salad Garden Pasta Salad. Diana Rattray

Pesto and lemon juice help to flavour this delicious pasta salad. Add a little baked chicken, shredded or cubed cheese, or ham for a heartier dinner salad.

07 of 12

Pasta Salad with Chicken and Spinach by Diana Rattray

This chicken, spinach and pasta salad is rubbed with a delicious mayo and lemon juice dressing. For hot summer days, it’s a great main dish salad, or take it to a potluck or big family cookout. Use cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken for this delicious salad recipe.

08 of 12

Classic Macaroni Salad Basic Macaroni Salad. Diana Rattray

This macaroni salad is made with hard-boiled eggs , chopped veggies and a mayonnaise dressing. It’s a classic pasta salad with a cream sauce and always a welcome treat!

09 of 12

Chicken and bacon pasta salad Pasta salad with chicken and bacon. Diana Rattray

Crispy mayo and lemon dressing brings macaroni, bacon and chicken together in this flavorful pasta salad. The pasta can be macaroni or mini penne pasta. Vegetable Recipes are tomatoes, onions and herbs.

10 of 12

Summer Seafood Pasta Salad Jupiterimages / Getty Images

Make a pasta salad with crab, shrimp or lobster, or use a combination. Or use crab with or without shrimp for a budget-friendly seafood salad.

11 of 12

30-Minute Tuna Macaroni Salad by Diana Rattray

This is one of my favorite pasta salads, and it’s surprisingly easy.

12 of 12

Shrimp and Pasta Salad Jonelle Weaver / Photolibrary / Getty Images

In this delicious shrimp salad, use roti, crab, shells or elbows. The salad needs to be refrigerated for a few hours before serving, so plan ahead to prepare it for the day.