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We LOVE having a go-to side dish to bring to summer parties – and this pasta salad with Italian dressing is it!

Our family has been making this cold pasta salad for at least 10 years! It’s always a hit when we bring it to events.

Depending on the crowd you’re feeding, or what your family likes, you can customize the ingredients to your choosing. Regardless of what you decide to include, this pasta salad is easy and simply the best!

Other favorites include our Famous Potato Salad, Corn Salad, and Tortellini Salad. They’re all simple and great to enjoy all summer long.

Why we think you’ll love it:

  • A summertime staple. We love to BBQ and gather for dinner with friends. This is one of our go-to salad recipes!
  • Make ahead of time. Because it needs to chill, this is perfect for prepping in advance, plus the flavors just get better!
  • Simple ingredients. Nothing complicated here, plus it’s easy to mix in some extras to change it up!

Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing Ingredients and Substitutions

  • 16 ounces (4 cups) colored rotini pasta – We love the added colors of the tri-color rotini, but regular rotini, fusilli, farfalle, or penne pasta can all be used instead.
  • ½ cup diced black olives
  • ½ cup cubed Colby Jack cheese – fresh mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, or goat cheese
  • ½ cup mini pepperoni slices – or use ham cubes, grilled chicken, crab, bacon, salami, or pepperoncini
  • ¾-1 cup Italian dressing
  • optional mix-ins – chopped cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, ham cubes, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, green onions, or red onions
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Pasta salad with Italian dressing ingredients in bowl for making pasta salad with Italian dressing.

How to Make Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

  1. PASTA. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. For added flavor, add 1-1½ tablespoons of salt for every pound of pasta you are boiling.
  2. COMBINE. In a large bowl, combine cool pasta, olives, cheese, and pepperoni.
    • Pour at least half of the Italian dressing into the pasta salad and mix well.
    • Add any desired mix-ins to the pasta salad and mix well. We always use olives, cheese, and pepperonis – sometimes tomatoes and cucumbers.
  3. CHILL. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir in additional dressing to taste before serving.
  • To make sure you get a forkful of different flavors, we chop all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
  • We only add ½ of the dressing when we toss it together so that all the flavors can meld together, then add the remaining dressing right before serving. 
  • Although we prefer tri-colored rotini, any short pasta with nooks and crannies to cradle the dressing works. Cook the pasta to al dente.
5 from 252 votes

Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Easy pasta salad with Italian dressing takes minutes to make. It's a classic side dish, perfect for BBQs, picnics, or any night of the week!
Servings: 8
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Refrigerating Time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 27 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 16 ounces (4 cups) colored rotini pasta (fusilli, farfalle, and penne work too), cooked
  • ½ cup diced black olives
  • ½ cup cubed Colby Jack cheese
  • ½ cup mini pepperoni slices
  • ¾-1 cup Italian dressing

optional mix-ins

  • chopped cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped peppers, ham cubes, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts

Instructions 

  • Cook pasta as directed on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, olives, cheese, and pepperoni.
  • Pour at least half of the Italian dressing into the pasta salad and mix well.
  • Add any desired mix-ins to the pasta salad and mix well.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir in additional dressing to taste before serving.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips.
  • To make sure you get a forkful of different flavors, be sure to chop your ingredients into bite-sized pieces.
  • We only add ½ of the dressing when we toss it together so that all the flavors can meld together, then add the remaining dressing right before serving. 
  • Any short pasta with nooks and crannies to cradle the dressing works. Cook the pasta to al dente.
Make it ahead of time. Prepare the pasta the day before and only toss it with half of the dressing. Keep it covered and refrigerated, adding the remaining dressing right before serving. 
Store leftovers in an airtight container, and they will last in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can have pasta salad for lunches and dinners all week!
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 515mg, Potassium: 178mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 123IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe FAQ

Make ahead of time?

Prepare the pasta the day before and only toss it with half of the dressing. Keep it covered and refrigerated, adding the remaining dressing right before serving. 

How to store?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can have pasta salad for lunches and dinners all week!

This recipe was originally published July 2013.

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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5 from 252 votes (210 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




75 Comments

  1. Jo Brown says:

    5 stars
    Love this salad. We tried substituting the Colby w Parmesan which is good but doesn’t absorb the flavor as well as the Colby. Also, add green olives!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      So glad you love it! Thank you for sharing what you did!

  2. Lars B says:

    5 stars
    I made this pasta salad the other day and it turned out fantastic! I used ham instead of pepperoni and fresh green peppers and cucumbers from the garden. I also used a whole can of olives – not sliced, a whole onion – chopped and store-bought Italian dressing. The salad was amazing! This will now be in our rotation. Thank you Kristyn!

  3. Maria says:

    5 stars
    It’s the first time I made a pasta salad, and this handy recipe was just what I needed! I also appreciate that the recipe includes variation ingredients (add-ins) and is super easy to make!

  4. gretchen says:

    that pasta salad looks pretty good

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Hope you enjoy!!

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