Summer Pasta Salads

Use your bounty of summer squash to make a fresh and colorful pasta salad. The recipe calls for bowtie pasta, but you can use any shaped pasta you have on hand.

Add bright flavor and a punch of color to the traditional pasta salad by using a simple homemade pesto. Mix the pesto ingredients in a food processor for a quick side, which only calls for three other ingredients.

Instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing, this fruited pasta salad has a citrus-mustard vinaigrette. Chopped celery and toasted walnuts add crunch, and red grapes contribute just the right amount of sweetness.

Fresh green beans and roasted red peppers are the stars of this satisfying pasta salad. Because it has shredded chicken, it's certainly hearty enough for a quick weeknight meal and takes about 35 minutes to make.

Feature your favorite Greek flavors in this easy pasta salad: feta cheese, cucumbers, and Kalamata olives. The dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano further bring out the salad's Grecian nature, and fresh tuna makes it worthy of serving on Mount Olympus.

It's hard to say what makes this salad so spectacular–it's either crisp bacon crumbles or the creamy dressing that's made with cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. This will be quite a crowd pleaser at your next picnic.

This kid-friendly recipe is a takeoff on macaroni and cheese; it makes a large batch that holds well for two or three days. Serve with pickled jalapeño slices for grownups who like spicy food.

Add grilled red peppers, onions, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, feta cheese, and olives to fusilli for a hearty pasta side dish with Mediterranean flair.

Summer vegetables shine in this easy-to-assemble pasta salad. Because you can make it ahead and let it chill, it's perfect for picnics and covered-dish suppers.

A traditional pesto is made with pine nuts and basil, but this version features the more intense flavors of walnuts and fresh sage. The warm pasta is tossed with the pesto, roasted butternut squash, and arugula for a satisfying salad that can fill in as a main dish.

A colorful medley of chopped fresh veggies gives this creamy pasta salad both color and flavor. For a shortcut, you can use rotisserie chicken instead of simmering fresh chicken breasts. Or, stir in leftover grilled chicken.

Intensely-flavored Mediterranean ingredients such as olives, Dijon mustard, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese make this a memorable salad. Serve it chilled with a glass of wine.

Combine bow tie pasta with baby spinach, cheery tomatoes, and smoked salmon for a cool and classy salad that's perfect for hot summer nights.

Use fresh basil and oregano from your herb garden along with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and pepperoni to create a pasta salad that's full of pizza flavors.