Ditalini Pasta Salad

Ditalini Pasta Salad is an easy and delicious cold pasta salad that is full of fresh veggies and so customizable! It's light enough for warm weather and the colors are absolutely beautiful. It's definitely a crowd pleaser! 

The simple dressing is tangy and slightly sweet which pairs perfectly with anything you want to add to your pasta salad. Everyone loves this pasta salad, even my husband who isn't usually a fan of any creamy pasta salad. 

What I love most about this pasta salad versus other types of pasta salad is that everything is cut to the same size which makes it super easy to eat and all of the textures and flavors blend perfectly.

It's creamy, flavorful with just the right amount of crunch. 

Ingredients & Substitutions

This pasta salad can be customized in so many different ways, so feel free to add what you love and omit what you don't.

Pasta

Choosing the best pasta for various types of pasta salad is so important in the overall look and texture of the dish. It also plays a role in how the dressing clings to the ingredients and how easy it is to eat.

If you have ever had a pasta salad made with a pasta shape that is too big for the other ingredients and all you end up getting is the pasta and the rest of the ingredients are left on the plate, then you know exactly what I mean.

In this pasta salad, the pasta shape needs to be the same size as the veggies and slightly smaller than the shrimp for the perfect bite every time!

Ditalini pasta is a small round pasta with a hole in the middle that traps the dressing and it is the perfect choice for this pasta salad, that's why I named the recipe Ditalini pasta salad. I really urge you to use this type of pasta for the best results.

However, there are other substitutes that will also work in this pasta salad. Below are a few suggestions and you would cook them according to the directions on the box so they are al dente. 

• small shells
• mini farfalle*
• mini wheels
• small elbow macaroni

*If you use the mini farfalle, make sure they are cooked enough so the very center isn't underdone or the pasta will remain chewy.

Creamy Dressing

This dressing is so simple, using only a few ingredients.

• real mayonnaise
• vinegar
• sugar

It's a sweet and tangy dressing with the perfect thickness to coat the pasta and vegetables.

I have not tried substituting the mayonnaise in this recipe, but you can certainly play around with it and use plain Greek yogurt and/or sour cream in its place.

If you prefer the flavor of Miracle Whip, I think it would work in this pasta salad just fine. You may want to adjust the vinegar and sugar to balance the tang of the Miracle Whip.

I like to use a white wine vinegar, but you could use apple cider or plain white vinegar in its place. I do not recommend using red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar as they would throw the flavors off too much. 

Another substitution would be to use lemon juice or a combination of lemon juice and vinegar if you want just a touch of lemon flavor. 

The sugar in the dressing can be substituted with a sugar substitute, I do that in my low carb broccoli salad recipe and it works great! I recommend using a sweetener like swerve which is a 1:1 substitution and will keep the dressing the correct consistency. 

You can also reduce the amount of sugar and increase the vinegar for a little bit more tang. The sugar does thicken the dressing, so, if you reduce it or omit it, the dressing will be thinner and won't cling as well to the pasta and vegetables. 

Vegetables

Think of the vegetables you add as the bonus in this pasta salad. It's where you take a plain (but delicious) pasta salad and add your touch to it.

I picked vegetables that had the right flavor and texture balance that would also make this a stunning pasta salad to look at. You can create your own masterpiece or use the veggies I do. Feel free to omit anything you don't like and add what you love instead. 

I have made this pasta salad with only the pasta, dressing, and shrimp and it is delicious; so, if you don't want any vegetables in your pasta salad, skip all of them! 

The most important thing to remember is the size of the vegetables should be relatively close to the size of the pasta so the textures all work together. You wouldn't want a small pasta shape with a huge chunks of vegetables. It wouldn't be visually appealing or great to eat. 

These are the fresh vegetables I use.

• red onion
• tomatoes
• yellow and red bell pepper
• cucumber
• celery
• grated carrot
• green onions
• frozen peas (not cooked or thawed)

I've used mini cucumbers and full size cucumbers and as long as they are cut into small pieces both work great. If you have a seedy cucumber, you can cut the seeds out. 

 I use Roma tomatoes in this recipe because it is easy to remove the seeds and juice and only put he flesh part of the tomato into the salad. This prevents the salad from becoming too runny as it sits.

Cherry tomatoes are another option and you will want to cut them into quarters. They do have a little more juice, but I have used them and they worked fine in this recipe. 

I chose yellow and red peppers instead of green bell pepper because the slight sweetness of the yellow and red pepper compliments the pasta salad better than a green pepper which is a little stronger of a flavor.

Red onion is my go to for pasta salads because I love the flavor and color they add, however a sweet onion would work perfectly fine in this recipe. Or, use the white part of the green onion in the salad and the green part as garnish. 

I also use frozen peas because I love peas and love the slight sweetness and bright green color they bring to the salad.

Frozen peas should not be cooked or thawed prior to adding to your pasta salad or they will have a dull look. I also found that after 4 days in the refrigerator the peas also darken in color, so it is best to make this pasta salad 1-2 days before you plan on serving it. 

I like to garnish with green onions and this will provide that pop of bright green color if you aren't a fan of peas and choose to omit them. 

Shrimp & Extras

I have made this ditalini pasta salad so many times while testing the recipe and one day I decided to add shrimp so I had a little protein in the pasta for lunch.

Well, it was so good I decided to include it as part of the recipe. However, it can be omitted without any other changes.

It's important that you use small shrimp or cut larger shrimp so they are just slightly larger than the other ingredients.

I use small (60-80 count per pound) frozen, shelled and deveined, raw shrimp and throw the frozen shrimp in with the pasta for the last 2 minutes of cook time. This will perfectly cook the shrimp for the pasta salad.

If you use larger shrimp, you can cut them in half or in thirds so they are the right size for the pasta salad.

I have also added roasted (shelled) sunflower seeds to the pasta salad and it was really good!

If you wanted to add a protein other than shrimp, chicken breast would work great. However, the texture and size of the chicken is important. I recommend using sous vide to cook the chicken and then chop it into small chunks before adding it to the pasta salad.

The chicken should be soft for the best overall texture in the pasta salad.

The most important thing about making this pasta salad is to have fun with it and try different things!

Play around with various dressings and ingredients and create your own version of ditalini pasta salad your family will love!

How to Make Ditalini Pasta Salad

This recipe has two parts to it with a chilling time in between. Plan on about 4 hours for the pasta to cool completely before adding in the fresh vegetables.

For this reason, I have changed the order of the prep (or Mise En Place) to be done while the pasta is chilling.

Cook the Pasta and Shrimp

There are many ways you can choose to cook the pasta, but in this recipe I used the stove and a (affiliate link)shallow pan with a colander to make it easy to drain after cooking.

The amount of water you use to cook the pasta will depend on your pot or pan and you want your pot or pan filled about ⅔ of the way with water. Don't forget to salt the water!

The amount of salt you use will depend on the amount of water in the pot. This is the only added salt in the recipe, and remember that most of it gets drained off, so it is very important to adequately salt the water, or the entire pasta salad may be undersalted.

Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta and stir. Keep the stove on high heat to bring the water back to boiling and cook the Ditalini pasta for 8-10 minutes.

Make the Dressing

While the pasta is boiling, make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and whisking to combine. Set aside.

You will have just over 1 cup of dressing.

Add the Frozen Shrimp & Peas

If you are using frozen shrimp, add them to the boiling water after the pasta has cooked for 8 minutes. Cook the shrimp and pasta for an additional 2 minutes.

This will perfectly cook both the pasta and the shrimp.

Drain off all the excess water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add the frozen peas to the hot pasta and stir. The peas should not be cooked prior to adding to the pasta salad or they will become a very dull green color and be too soft.

Add about ¼ cup of the dressing and stir to combine. Adding the dressing to the hot pasta will create a very creamy finished pasta salad because the starch on the pasta and the dressing will cling together and, when you add the remaining dressing when the pasta has chilled, it adheres to the pasta better.

Stir well and refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled which will take 2-4 hours.

Cover the remaining dressing and refrigerate it.

If you cover the pasta mixture with plastic wrap before it cools down, condensation will build from the steam, and your pasta salad will be runny.

Vegetable Prep

While the pasta mixture is chilling, prep your vegetables. Remember, use what you love and omit what you don't!

I grate the carrot on the diagonal to get strips about 2" in length. I don't recommend using diced or sliced carrots in this recipe because they will be too hard and throw off the texture of the pasta salad.

The most important thing when prepping the vegetables is to dice them about the same size as the cooked pasta. I like to keep them around ½" in size.

If your cucumber has a lot of seeds, cut them out so the pasta salad isn't seedy or too wet.

You also want to remove most of the seeds and juice from the tomatoes.

I use 4½ cups of fresh vegetables and find that to be a perfect ratio for the amount of pasta.

Finish the Ditalini Pasta Salad

Once the pasta mixture has chilled completely, add the fresh veggies and the remainder of the dressing.

Stir well and top with chopped green onions if desired.

Serve & Enjoy!

If you are not serving the Ditalini Pasta Salad right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

Storage Instructions

How to Store Leftover Ditalini Pasta Salad

This pasta salad should ONLY be left at room temperature for up to 2 hours for serving.

Refrigeration

Store any leftover pasta salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days if you added shrimp and up to 5 days if you didn't add shrimp.

Freezer

I do not recommend trying to freeze the pasta salad once it is assembled.

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