Healthy Cold Pasta Lunch Ideas

I can eat pasta just about any way someone wants to make it. However, there’s something about cold pasta recipes that makes my mouth water.Don’t get me wrong; I love warm pasta – spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, fettuccine. It’s all delicious to me.

When it’s warm out, though, I find myself making more and more cold pasta.

Whether I’m making a box of Suddenly Salad pasta salad or a homemade orange orzo salad, I get equally excited.

It seems like cold pasta is just so flavorful and zesty. That’s not always the case, of course.

Some of the options on this list are spicy or savory, but they’re not any less robust or tasty.

Just remember: Although many of these salads are quick and easy to make, most of them taste better after spending some time in the fridge, so plan accordingly.

1. Grandma’s Macaroni Salad

Cool, creamy, and full of celery, onions, peppers, and more, Grandma’s macaroni salad is unlike other options out there for macaroni salad.

It takes only 30 minutes to make, and it has an earthy taste with just a hint of sweetness that makes it hard not to eat the whole bowl by yourself.

If you’re looking for a tasty, refreshing side dish for a barbecue or cookout, look no further than this recipe.

2. Italian Pasta Salad

This recipe always reminds me of the pasta salads you can make with a box of Suddenly Salad, but this one has a lot more going on and tastes 100 times better than the boxed stuff.

The pasta is tender and well-seasoned; the parmesan and mozzarella add a rich cheesiness, and the extra veggies give the whole thing a garden-fresh taste that’s hard to beat.

If you need a vegetarian-friendly pasta salad, leave out the salami. It makes the dish much lighter, too.

3. Greek Pasta Salad

Between the feta cheese, onions, and black olives, this Greek pasta salad has plenty of intense, bold flavors. The dressing is similarly flavorful.

It’s made from olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, black pepper, and red wine vinegar.

It has a complex, zesty kick that pushes the whole salad into “delicious” territory.

The added veggies are great as written in the recipe, but feel free to vary them up if you have fresh garden veggies to use up in the summer.

4. Spaghetti Salad

Believe it or not, even spaghetti noodles taste good cold, at least when you toss them in store-bought or homemade Greek vinaigrette and add plenty of veggies and feta cheese.

This salad tastes relatively similar to the Greek pasta salad mentioned above. The only real difference is in the type of noodles you’ll use for it.

5. Cold Soba Noodle Salad

If you’re looking for a cold pasta dish with an Asian flair, try cold soba noodle salad.

The veggies are fairly commonplace and straightforward – carrots, green onions, peppers, cucumbers, etc.

You can also add some peanuts, cashews, or edamame for extra texture.

However, none of that is what gives it the Asian touch. That’s all about the dressing.

Made from ginger, lime, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and Asian chile sauce, this sesame lime ginger dressing simply screams “yummy Chinese takeout!”

6. Cold Sesame Noodles with Cucumber

The ingredients list for this sesame noodles dish looks intense, but it’s remarkably easy to make.

Other than boiling the noodles, you’ll only have to whisk and mix.

It, too, has a bit of an ethnic flair to it, and you’ll appreciate the crunch of the sesame seeds and cucumbers.

7. Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad

Just because the pasta is cold doesn’t mean that it can’t set your mouth on fire.

If you enjoy meals that are full of heat, you’ll love this vegan-friendly spicy peanut pasta salad.

It’s both slightly sweet, thanks to the peanut butter, brown sugar, and peanuts, and super spicy. It’s also totally authentic.

8. Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

If you’re looking for a macaroni salad that’s more sour than sweet or savory, this is it. I love this salad, but I make funny faces whenever I eat it.

It’s a quirky, zesty dish, and best of all, you can whip it up in 15 minutes or less. Don’t forget to refrigerate it, though!

9. Orzo Salad with Vegetables and Feta

Despite its appearance, orzo is pasta, not rice, and it’s the ideal ingredient for this dense, hearty salad.

It’s meant to be a side dish, but it’s so filling, you can serve it by itself and have quite the meal.

This salad is a bit zesty, but mostly, it’s fresh and full of flavor.

The chickpeas don’t add much in the way of taste, but they’ll fill you up quickly. If you want a lighter version, leave them out.

10. Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad

So far, most of these pasta dishes have been vegetarian- or vegan-friendly. Well, here’s one for my meat-loving friends.

This simple salad combines ham, cheese, pasta, onions, and peppers.

The dressing is a light, slightly tangy mixture of mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

This whole thing is sheer simplicity, and you can have it done in only 15 minutes.

(Like all the others, though, it tastes better after some time in the fridge.)