Artichoke Pasta Salad

Artichoke Pasta Salad is a great side dish for any BBQ or it even makes for an easy lunch! Perfectly made with al dente garden spiral noodles, pepperoni, smoked ham, garden tomatoes, olives, mozzarella pearls and of course, artichokes!

Pasta Salad

Pasta salad can be made up of so many different ingredients.

With pasta being the main common ingredient, you can toss in any of your favorite vegetables, meats and cheeses.

The possibilities are endless!

One of my favorites is this Artichoke Pasta Salad recipe that I adapted from my mother in law.

She used to make hers with a seasoning mix that I can’t find anymore. She also added purple onion to hers. You can totally still do that, but I’m not a huge fan of raw onion.

Olive Garden’s Italian Dressing is one of my most favorite dressings and my grocery store stocks it on their shelves.

I bet yours does, too, but in case you can’t find it, please just use your favorite Italian dressing.

I love to make this especially during the summertime. It makes a wonderful side dish for any BBQ!

This also makes for a super easy lunch. It has protein and vegetables and it’s packed with flavor. I’ll make a big batch of it and my husband and I will have it all week long.

Pouring Italian Dressing over a pasta salad

How To Make Italian Pasta Salad

Cook the pasta according to package directions.
Drain and rinse with cold water. This helps it’s cool down faster and keeps it from sticking together.
Pour it into a large bowl.
Slice the tomatoes and the olives in half and add to pasta.
Chop ham and pepperoni and add to pasta. You just want bite size pieces.
Drain the artichoke hearts and cut down any large pieces. Add them to the bowl.
Remove the mozzarella pearls from their water and toss into the bowl.
Pour the dressing over and toss to coat.
Cover and chill for 2 hours before serving.