Imagine all of the freshest summer veggies together with pearled mozzarella balls and your favorite noodle all covered in the most delicious homemade Hot Honey dressing. This Hot Honey Pasta Salad is going to be your go to dish in the warmer months.
Why You’ll Love Hot Honey Pasta Salad
Is it sweet? Is it spicy? Is it fresh? Is it flavorful? ALL OF THE ABOVE. This Hot Honey Pasta Salad is taking us to flavor town and let me tell you, I never want to leave.
The pasta salad recipe starts obviously with a noodle base. Then, we will mix in the freshest summer veggies with beautiful color and lots of texture. We will also add some creamy mozzarella, which pairs perfectly with the star of the show – the HOT HONEY DRESSING.
Sorry for the all caps, but it’s that good. The sweet and heat of the honey come together with a little tang from some lemon juice and richness from the olive oil. You’re seriously going to be making this on repeat.
The dressing alone is great for meal prep, and the salad as a whole is as well. It’s also the perfect dish to serve at a potluck or backyard barbecue this summer or as a side for burger night at home.
And if you love pasta salad as much as I do, also check out this Pesto Feta Pasta Salad, Deviled Egg Pasta Salad, Buffalo Chickpea Pasta Salad or this Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Noodles – Use your favorite shape.
- Veggies – Grape tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula.
- Cheese – I used pearled mozzarella balls.
- Dressing – Made from olive oil, hot honey, lemon and some seasoning.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make this gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free noodle. For dairy-free just skip the cheese.
- Herb infusion: Experiment with adding different herbs like cilantro, basil, mint, or dill to vary the profile!
- Add nuts and seeds for some extra texture. It’s the year of the pistachio!! I think toasted pine nuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds would compliment the hot honey dressing well, too.
- Want to make a lower carb version? This recipe would be great over a bed of massaged kale instead of pasta.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Cook the noodles according to the box instructions. Drain and move to the refrigerator to cool.
2. While the noodles cook, prep the ingredients. Halve and quarter the tomatoes. Chop the cucumbers into even pieces (I like to use my vegetable chopper for this).
3. In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, hot honey, lemon juice, and seasonings. Whisk together until honey & olive oil is combined.
4. Add the cooled pasta into the large bowl with the salad dressing and toss again. Fold in the rest of the pasta salad ingredients: cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and pearled mozzarella. Toss together.
Enjoy!
PRO TIPS
Double batch the hot honey vinaigrette! I’m telling you now, you won’t be able to get enough of this stuff!!! Plus, it’s great on so many other recipes, too! It’s a game changer! Also try it:
- On a tossed salad
- Mixed into plain rice or quinoa
- On grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon
- On a sandwich or wrap
- As a dipping oil for bread
- Drizzled over roasted veggies
If you want to serve this pasta salad cold, make the noodles the night before and refrigerate. Then assemble the dressing and salad the day of, serve!
Recipe FAQs
Store your pasta salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The moisture from the tomatoes and cucumbers may drain to the bottom, so just be sure to give it a good stir before diving back in.
Most grocery stores sell it nowadays, but if you don’t have any you can easily make your own with just three ingredients: Honey, red pepper flakes and apple cider vinegar. To a sauce pot add the honey and red pepper flakes, bring to a simmer over medium heat then remove from heat and add the vinegar. Give it a stir and let rest for 15 minutes (or longer for a stronger spice level) and then strain the red peppers out using a fine mesh strainer.
This Hot Honey Pasta Salad is meant to be served cold. The cheese melts and the fresh veggies will get wilted if you try to heat this salad. In fact, I highly recommend chilling your cooked noodles before combining to avoid the heat blanching any of the vegetables when mixing.
Serving suggestions
Turn your pasta salad into a meal with grilled shrimp, Ninja Foodi Chicken, or Ninja Foodi Grill Steak sliced over top. Or serve at your summer backyard barbecue alongside these drool-worthy Oklahoma Onion Burgers and this Strawberry Apple Crisp for dessert.
More Recipes with Hot Honey
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Hot Honey Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Sauce pot
- strainer
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- vegetable chopper optional
- knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 8 oz noodles
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 2 mini english cucumbers
- 1 cup arugula
- 1/2 cup pearled mozarella balls
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp hot honey
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the box instructions. Drain and move to the refrigerator to cool.
- While the noodles cook, prep the ingredients. Halve and quarter the tomatoes. Chop the cucumbers into even pieces (I like to use my vegetable chopper for this).
- In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, hot honey, lemon juice, and seasonings. Whisk together until honey & olive oil is combined.
- Add the cooled pasta into the large bowl with the salad dressing and toss again.
- Fold in the rest of the pasta salad ingredients: cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and pearled mozzarella. Toss together. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
more of our favorite Pasta Salad Recipes…
- Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
- Bruschetta Penne Pasta Salad
- Chickpea Pasta Salad
- Pasta Salad with Feta and Pesto
- Arugula Couscous Salad
- Summer Orzo Salad
- Hot Honey Pasta Salad
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Hot Honey Pasta Salad calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
wowwwwww these flavors WORK! I am a pasta salad addict in the summer and this is surely going to be a staple in my rotation
this recipe is everything I’ve ever wanted in a pasta salad and more. PHENOMENAL
So tasty with extra flair — a fancy lovely taste without much effort!