8 Summer Pasta Salad Recipes for Cookouts, Potlucks, and Easy Dinners

Summer pasta salads are a warm-weather classic. They’re easy to make, better if made ahead, and travel well (so we take them to potlucks all the time). They’re also crowd pleasers, the kind of dish that always goes fast at a cookout—and they pair well with all kinds of main dishes like grilled chicken or fish, burgers, quiche, and more. Our recipes highlight peak produce like juicy tomatoes, crunchy green beans, and fresh corn. Some add cheese or chickpeas to amp up the protein. All our pasta salads include crunch (think chopped celery or green beans) for contrast with the soft pasta. We like a zingy vinaigrette or a creamy dressing with lemon to keep things interesting. These recipes hit all the right notes, and you’ll be making them on repeat all season long—they’re that good.