Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

5 from 253 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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Refrigerating Time2

Total Time2 27

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

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