This super easy lemon pasta salad has simple ingredients with bright summer flavors. It combines fresh lemon, a zesty Italian dressing, and some Parmesan cheese to bring it all together. It’s the best side dish for your next summer BBQ, picnic, block party, or camping trip.

Ingredients

Pasta – I like to use tri-colored rotini pasta for this salad. The corkscrew-shaped pasta holds the dressing well, but other short pasta shapes, like penne or fusilli, will work, too.
Italian dressing – We’re using prepared dressing as the base. Choose your favorite brand.
Lemon – Fresh-squeezed lemon juice adds a punchy brightness.
Parmesan cheese – Grated cheese works best. It adds cheesiness and a nice texture.
Fresh parsley – I always love a pop of green!
Seasonings: Some pantry seasonings, like garlic and onion powder, and salt and pepper, amp up the flavor even more.

How to Make It

You can make the dressing in the time it takes to boil the pasta – it’s so quick! I like to make the salad a few hours ahead so all the flavors meld, but if you’re in a rush, it’s good right after it’s made.

I love this lemon Parmesan pasta salad because it goes with all kinds of summer main dishes. It’s great with grilled chicken and grilled steak.

Pasta Salad Recipes

BLT Pasta Salad | Italian Pasta Salad | Bow Tie Pasta Salad | More Summer Pasta Salads

Lemon Parmesan Pasta Salad

If you need an easy summer side dish, this Lemon Parmesan pasta salad is for you! It has simple ingredients and is so easy to pull together. The flavors are bright – perfect for summer!

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Author: April Anderson

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Ingredients

1 pound rotini pasta
1 cup Italian dressing
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Boil the pasta according to package instructions (10 to 11 minutes). Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to cool it off. Be sure to drain it really well.
Mix the dressing, lemon juice, cheese, parsley, and seasonings in a large bowl. Add the pasta and stir to coat it in the dressing.
You serve it right away, but chilling it for a couple of hours will allow the flavors to develop. Give it a good stir before serving it after it’s been stored.

Video

Notes

Leftover pasta salad will keep for a few days in an airtight container.

Nutrition Estimate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy Italian pasta salad, lemon pasta salad, Parmesan pasta salad

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

Variations

Adding protein transforms this pasta salad from a side dish into a main dish. Cooked shrimp or chicken mixed in at the end would be delicious.

You can dress it up with your favorite veggies, like chopped bell peppers and tomatoes, or add blanched asparagus or broccoli. Other fresh herbs like basil or thyme would be great, too.