What I love to eat in the summer: the cold summer pasta salad. Drenched in tangy vinaigrette with some fresh vegetables and crumbled feta cheese. Perfect with a glass of wine while lounging barefoot in a patio chair. It’s ridiculously easy and crowd-pleasing, and excess left-overs make for a perfect take-to-work lunch. And how convenient: NO REHEATING REQUIRED. 
Before you dive into any of these luscious recipes pulled from all over the great internets, check out this very handy primer "Five Steps to Perfect Pasta Salad" from AllRecipes.com on the art of making the perfect summer pasta salad: from pasta preparation to vegetable ratios to choosing the right type of dressing at the end. Nothing like a damper to a summery meal like a sloggy, dull summer pasta salad.
Just as with any classic picnic staple, the possibilities are endless depending on your taste palette and kitchen pantry. Want to go all-vegetarian with crispy tofu, tempeh and lots of veg? Add a little meat here and there with chicken or tuna? Add an Asian influence with a rice vinegar and soy sauce drizzle or go purely Americana with a slosh of storebrought Italian dressing? The choice is yours, my friend.
Citrus Tuna Pasta Salad from Better Homes and Gardens.
Broccoli and Chicken Pasta Salad from Family.Go.com.
Dang Cold Asian Noodle Salad from FoodNetwork.
Fusili with Herbed Ricotta and Grape Tomatoes from GoodHousekeeping.com.
Asian Pasta Salad with Fried Tempeh Bits from GroupRecipes.com.
Pasta and Fruit Walnut Salad from iFood.tv.
Grilled Yellow Squash and Zuchinni Pasta Recipe from MyRecipes.com.
Penne, Crispy Tofu and Green Bean Salad from MyRecipes.com.
That first paragraph gave me shivers! lol