Cookout tables can have plenty of grilled food and still need a cold dish people can scoop onto the same plate. These 11 pasta salads cover salmon, chicken, shrimp, steak, bacon, pepperoni, pesto, vegetables, and several different creamy or vinaigrette-style dressings. Most make six to ten servings, and several are designed to chill before serving, which makes them practical for picnics, potlucks, and backyard meals. The lineup moves from hearty salads that can stand in for lunch to lighter sides that fit beside burgers, steaks, chicken, or anything coming off the grill.
Salmon Pasta Salad
Creamy and herb-filled, Salmon Pasta Salad combines chilled orecchiette with cooked salmon for 10 servings. Grated cucumber, sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, parsley, and lemon juice keep the mixture fresh while letting the fish stay in distinct pieces. The recipe takes 5 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, with the cucumber drained before mixing. Bring it to a cookout as a substantial cold side, or serve it on its own for lunch.
Get the Recipe: Salmon Pasta Salad
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Rotisserie chicken gives Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad enough substance for eight servings while keeping the cooking limited to one pot of rotini. Caesar dressing, lemon, bacon, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, red onion, romaine, and garlic croutons fill the bowl. The recipe takes 1 hour and 2 minutes, including 30 minutes of chilling. Fold in the lettuce and croutons just before serving so they stay crisp beside burgers, grilled chicken, or other cookout mains.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Shrimp
Shrimp, feta, and chickpeas make Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Shrimp a fuller pasta salad that still brings plenty of fresh vegetables to the table. Eight servings combine orzo with grape tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, and red onion. Olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, dill, parsley, and honey form the dressing. With 20 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, it works well for a cookout where seafood needs an easy cold format.
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Italian Pasta Salad
Bright vegetables fill Italian Pasta Salad from one side of the bowl to the other, with eight servings built around fusilli. Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, olives, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil are tossed with a scratch red wine vinaigrette. The recipe takes 1 hour and 32 minutes, including an hour of chilling. Holding back some dressing until serving helps the pasta stay coated when the salad has been waiting beside the grill.
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Summer Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Crunchy vegetables keep Summer Bow Tie Pasta Salad well suited to a warm-weather spread without relying on a creamy dressing. One pound of farfalle joins grape tomatoes, orange bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, black olives, parsley, and red onion for eight servings. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, honey, and Dijon form the vinaigrette. The recipe takes 33 minutes, making it an easy make-ahead side for burgers, grilled meats, or a potluck table.
Get the Recipe: Summer Bow Tie Pasta Salad
BLT Pasta Salad – With Bacon!
Bacon, tomatoes, and romaine carry the sandwich theme into BLT Pasta Salad – With Bacon!, an eight-serving chilled side. Twelve ounces of pasta are coated with mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon, lemon juice, garlic powder, and seasonings before bacon, red onion, parsley, and vegetables join the bowl. The recipe takes 25 minutes before at least 30 minutes of chilling. When making it ahead, hold the lettuce until serving so the crunch lasts through the cookout.
Get the Recipe: BLT Pasta Salad – With Bacon!
Steak & Pasta Salad
Cooked steak turns Steak & Pasta Salad into a hearty eight-serving bowl that can work beside grilled food or stand in for a light main. Pasta, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, radishes, corn, blue cheese, red onion, and optional candied walnuts are tossed with homemade buttermilk ranch. The recipe takes 25 minutes when the steak is already cooked. Keep this one in mind when leftovers from the grill need to become something cold for the next gathering.
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Pizza Pasta Salad
Pepperoni and pepper Jack give Pizza Pasta Salad the familiar toppings of a pizza in an eight-serving cold side. Fusilli is mixed with bell pepper, red onion, grape tomatoes, parsley, Italian seasoning, and Italian dressing or homemade vinaigrette. Prep and cooking total 20 minutes, followed by at least an hour in the refrigerator so the flavors settle into the pasta. Set it beside burgers or grilled chicken when the table needs something easy for both kids and adults to scoop.
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Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad
Leftover or store-bought chicken keeps Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad practical while still giving six servings with plenty of protein. Bowtie pasta joins diced chicken, roasted red peppers, red onion, basil, parsley, and garlic under a Greek yogurt dressing with lemon juice and white wine vinegar. The recipe takes 30 minutes from prep through cooking. Serve it chilled for lunch, a picnic, or a backyard meal when a cold side needs enough substance to compete with the grilled mains.
Get the Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad
Picnic Bacon Pasta Salad
A creamy herb dressing pulls Picnic Bacon Pasta Salad together around a full pound of farfalle for six servings. Grape tomatoes, green bell pepper, cheddar, bacon, and green onions add color and texture, while mayonnaise, sour cream, cider vinegar, bacon fat, smoked paprika, parsley, and dill coat the pasta. The recipe takes 50 minutes. Bring the chilled bowl to a picnic or cookout when the side dish needs enough bacon and cheese to hold its own beside the burgers.
Get the Recipe: Picnic Bacon Pasta Salad
Pesto Orzo Salad
Basil pesto gives Pesto Orzo Salad a rich green base while pearl mozzarella and two kinds of tomatoes add plenty to each scoop. Six servings combine orzo with Parmesan, mayonnaise, grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice, toasted pine nuts, and fresh basil. Prep and cooking total 20 minutes, followed by about 30 minutes of chilling. Serve it with grilled chicken, burgers, steak, or vegetables when a compact pasta salad fits the cookout table better than a heavier casserole.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Orzo Salad