Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is one of those easy side dishes we make all the time because it is simple, full of flavor, and perfect for feeding a crowd.
Our family has been making this cold pasta salad for at least a few decades! Loaded with pasta, cheese, pepperoni, and a zesty dressing, it is great for cookouts, potlucks, holidays, and weeknight dinners. If you need a make ahead side dish that everyone loves, this recipe never fails.
What makes this recipe so good is how customizable it is. You can keep it simple or load it with extra vegetables and mix-ins depending on what your family loves. If you love easy sides, try Macaroni Salad, Broccoli Salad, Potato Salad, and Fruit Salad.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- A summertime staple: We love to BBQ and gather for dinner with friends. This is one of our go-to salad recipes!
- Flavorful Dressing: Italian dressing adds flavor without needing extra ingredients.
- 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 Ingredients
- Colored Rotini Pasta (16 ounces): Holds the dressing well and adds fun color. Fusilli, farfalle, or penne also work. We love the added colors of the tri-color rotini, but regular rotini, fusilli, farfalle, or penne pasta can all be used instead.
- Black Olives (½ cup): Adds salty flavor and texture.
- Colby Jack Cheese (½ cup): Adds creaminess and rich flavor. We also like to use fresh mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, or goat cheese.
- Mini Pepperoni Slices (½ cup): Adds savory flavor and makes the salad more filling. Or use ham cubes, grilled chicken, crab, bacon, salami, or pepperoncini.
- Italian Dressing (¾-1 cup): Adds zesty flavor and brings everything together.
- Optional Mix-Ins: Add extra flavor, texture, and color based on what your family enjoys. Try chopped cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, ham cubes, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, green onions, or red onions.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
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.
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.
CHILL. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir in additional dressing to taste before serving. Enjoy this easy pasta salad recipe!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Rinse the pasta with cold water so it cools quickly and stops cooking.
- Save some dressing for right before serving since pasta absorbs liquid as it chills.
- Cut mix-ins into similar-sized pieces for easier serving.
- Chill for at least 2 hours for the best flavor.
- To make sure you get a forkful of different flavors, we chop all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- Although we prefer tri-colored rotini, any short pasta with nooks and crannies to cradle the dressing works. Cook the pasta to al dente.
Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
Video
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.
Notes
- Rinse the pasta with cold water so it cools quickly and stops cooking.
- Save some dressing for right before serving since pasta absorbs liquid as it chills.
- Cut mix-ins into similar-sized pieces for easier serving.
- Chill for at least 2 hours for the best flavor.
- To make sure you get a forkful of different flavors, we chop all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
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 in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can have pasta salad for lunches and dinners all week!
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This recipe was originally published July 2013.
We love to add Kalamata or green olives for some extra tang. It’s our go-to pasta dish in the summer!
Ooh, sounds like a delicious addition!
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!
So glad you love it! Thank you for sharing what you did!
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!
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!
that pasta salad looks pretty good
Hope you enjoy!!