Recipe Review

These 5-Ingredient Pasta Salads Are Perfect for Summer Potlucks

updated May 23, 2023
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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn

Welcome to Snapshot Cooking, the home of Kitchn’s easiest recipes. These mini recipes are so simple you can practically cook from the before-and-after snapshot itself. 

Pasta salad is the perfect summer side dish, and it requires just three easy components: pasta, a few fresh mix-ins, and a punchy vinaigrette. Peak-season summer produce is our all-time favorite mix-in — it adds vibrant color and texture to the al-dente noodles — so that’s what you’ll find in all the recipes below.

Treat yourself — and other potluck partygoers — to one of these fun and fresh pasta salads. Here’s how to do it.

5-Ingredient Pasta Salads

1 / 5
Lemon Herb Pasta Salad with Green Beans
Light and fresh pasta salad packed with fresh herbs, snappy green beans, and a sunny lemon vinaigrette.
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2 / 5
Asparagus & Prosciutto Pasta Salad
Grilled asparagus, prosciutto ribbons, and baby spinach star in a fast and fancy pasta salad.
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3 / 5
Corn and Avocado Pasta Salad with Cilantro and Lime
Every forkful of this colorful pasta salad is packed with fresh corn, creamy avocado, and plenty of cilantro and lime.
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4 / 5
Sesame Ginger Pasta Salad
Colorful bell peppers, tender pasta, and ribbons of radicchio are tossed in a sesame-ginger dressing.
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5 / 5
Grilled Zucchini and Grape Tomato Salad

Grilled zucchini and sweet tomatoes give this summery salad a crisp and fresh flavor.

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