This smoked salmon pasta salad recipe is a simple and easy dish loaded with veggies and topped with a homemade creamy salad dressing. Ready in just 20 minutes and perfect for lunch or dinner.
I love making this smoked salmon pasta salad not only because it is healthy but because I can add lots of fresh veggies, and it is super easy and quick. Try to make this cold pasta salad, and I am sure it will be your best no-cook lunch throughout the week.
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This dish goes well with vegetarian main dishes, such as Vegan Roasted Cauliflower With Garlic, Herb Roasted Potatoes or Roasted Green Beans and Carrots.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- An easy cold salad that is perfect for a summer picnic.
- Simple salad made with simple ingredients.
- A customizable pasta dish that can be served for lunch or dinner.
- Healthy, delicious make-ahead recipe.
- This recipe takes only 20 minutes to be ready.
- A flavorful dish loaded with veggies, smoked salmon and cheese and topped with creamy dressing.
Love pasta salad recipes? Check also Italian Shrimp Pasta Salad, Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad and Simple Macaroni Salad With Mayo.
Ingredients
- Pasta: Any kind you like.
- Spring onions: You can use red onion instead.
- Smoked salmon
- Avocado: Use ripe avocado.
- Romaine lettuce, chopped
- Black olive: You may use green olives instead.
- Fresh parsley: You can use fresh dill instead.
- Cherry tomatoes: Cut into halves.
- Cucumber: Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Mozzarella cheese: Cut into cubes.
To make the creamy dressing
- Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- Salt
- Back pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- White vinegar
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”
Variations & Substitutions
- Add more veggies, such as baby spinach, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, and sweetcorn.
- Use gluten-free pasta or quinoa if you want to make a gluten-free pasta salad.
- You can add lemon juice or lemon zest to the dressing to give it a lemony flavor.
- Use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt.
- Use leftover roasted or baked salmon instead of smoked salmon.
- More dressing options: Cilantro Garlic Sauce, Egyptian Tahini Sauce, Creamy Basil Pesto Dressing or Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
First Step - Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta in salty water according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and then put in a large serving bowl to cool.
Second Step - Prepare the veggies: Chop all the veggies and cut the olives into halves. Add them to the cooled pasta along with the smoked salmon and mozzarella cheese.
Third Step - Make the Pasta Salad Dressing: Mix all the dressing ingredients well, then pour over the salad and serve.
The Best Pasta For Pasta Salad
Pick short pasta cuts such as Rotini, Bow-Tie Pasta (Farfalle), Classic Macaroni or gemelli. These kinds of pasta hold up to the dressing and mix well with the other ingredients.
Also, because they are small size, they are easy to serve and eat.
Also, it is best to use dried pasta instead of fresh because dried pasta holds up well to the dressing and mixes better with other salad ingredients, and you can serve it cold or warm.
The Best Smoked Salmon To Use
There are so many kinds of smoked salmon to use in making pasta salad, you can use the classic smoked salmon, cold smoked salmon or flavored smoked salmon; it is a personal preference, and all work just fine in pasta recipes.
However, it would help if you considered cutting the salmon into small chunks to be easy to mix with the salad ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Don't overcook the pasta, and let it cool down before mixing it with other ingredients.
- You can use any kind of pasta you prefer. For me, I prefer to use Rotini pasta.
- If you don't have time to make the creamy dressing, you can buy it. You can use any store-bought dressing you like.
- You can store this pasta salad in the fridge for 3-4 days. However, I don't recommend freezing it.
Serving Ideas
Serve this delicious dish alongside Sweet and sour chicken, Sticky Chinese chicken drumsticks or Creamy mushroom chicken .
You can also try this Herb Roasted Potatoes or Butter garlic chicken breast.
This dish also work wonderfully with Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes, Buttered Peas, Seaweed Rice Balls and Toasted Cheese Sandwich.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. To do so, you must use any dairy-free yougurt and vegan mayonnaise.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 3-5 days.
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Recipe Card
Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 150 g pasta , any kind
- 2 spring onions , chopped
- 150 g smoked salmon , cut into small pisces
- 2 avocado , chopped
- 1 romaine lettuce , chopped
- 1 cup black olive
- ¼ cup parsley , chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , cut into halves
- 1 cucumber , chopped
- 250 g mozzarella cheese , cut cubes
Dressing
- ¾ cup yogurt
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon back pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta in salty water according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and then put in a large serving bowl to cool.150 g pasta
- Prepare the veggies: Chop all the veggies and cut the olives into halves. Add them to the cooled pasta along with the smoked salmon and mozzarella cheese.2 spring onions, 150 g smoked salmon, 2 avocado, 1 romaine lettuce, 1 cup black olive, ¼ cup parsley, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 250 g mozzarella cheese
- Make the Pasta Salad Dressing: Mix all the dressing ingredients well, then pour over the salad and serve.¾ cup yogurt, ⅓ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon back pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Notes
- Don't overcook the pasta, and let it cool down before mixing it with other ingredients.
- You can use any kind of pasta you prefer. For me, I prefer to use Rotini pasta.
- If you don't have time to make the creamy dressing, you can buy it. You can use any store-bought dressing you like.
- You can store this dish in the fridge for 3-4 days. However, I don't recommend freezing it.
- Add more veggies, such as baby spinach, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, and sweetcorn.
- Use gluten-free pasta if you want to make a gluten-free pasta salad.
- You can add lemon juice or lemon zest to the dressing to give it a lemony flavor.
- Use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt.
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