Peach Pasta Salad

Peach pasta salad with spinach is the perfect summer side dish. It’s light, refreshing, and delicious. Sometimes, we add a little chicken and make a meal of it.

If you are looking for a fun new pasta salad to try, you are in the right place. This recipe features peaches, spinach, mozzarella, and a homemade peach mustard vinaigrette.

It is a great make ahead side dish for bbqs and potlucks. We also love it as a simple summer lunch.

The best part is how simple it is to make. And you can customize it to your heart’s content.

Add whatever you like to make it yours. You can also make extra salad dressing and use it for green salads as well.

Why You’ll Love This Salad

It uses canned peaches, so you get the flavor without the work of chopping fresh peaches. Plus, you use some of the juice from the can to make the dressing.

You can make it ahead of time, which makes it perfect for when you are serving guests or bringing it to a carry in. It also makes a great brown bag lunch.

I make a batch on Sunday and portion it out for lunches throughout the week.

It is a nice cool dish, which is always welcome when it’s hot out. Plus, the peaches add a nice summery flavor.

Substitutions and Additions

We like this peach pasta salad recipe as written, but there are so many tasty ways you could make it your own.

If you want extra fruit, some fresh blueberries would be a tasty addition to this salad.

The mozzarella pearls add a mild creaminess, but crumbled feta or blue cheese would add a flavorful punch. Either would be delicious.

You can substitute arugula or another green for the spinach. You could also easily double the amount of greens if you want to bulk it up without adding more calories.

Nuts would add a nice crunch. My crowd doesn’t enjoy nuts, but I think pine nuts, pecans, or even pistachios would be delicious.

If you want to make a meal of it, some added protein is nice. Cooked chicken, shrimp, or salmon are all tasty options.

White beans would work as well if you want to keep it meatless.

Frequently Asked Questions

What pasta should I use for pasta salad?

Farfalle (bow-tie pasta) is always fun in pasta salads. But other short shapes also work. Rotini, elbow macaroni, shells, and other bite-sized shapes are good choices.

How do you cook pasta for pasta salad?

Cook the pasta al dente, or just a little bit firm. A minute or two less than the package suggests is good.

Drain the pasta well, then rinse it. That helps to remove extra starch so the pasta doesn’t stick together.

Toss the warm pasta in the dressing, then cover and chill. Allow the pasta to cool completely before adding the mix-ins.

More Great Pasta Salad Recipes

If you are on the lookout for more fun pasta salad recipes, I have more tasty ideas for you. If you like the idea of fruit in your pasta salad, try chicken poppy seed pasta salad with grapes.

BLT pasta salad is another summer favorite and is perfect when tomatoes are in season.

Or try making my enchilada pasta salad. It is loaded with Tex-Mex flavors and is another one that can easily be made into a meal.

Grape orzo salad is another tasty option. It is really fresh and is perfect with grilled meat.

Check out my collection of picnic salad recipes for more yummy inspiration.