This flavor-packed pasta salad recipe is quick, easy, and the perfect companion to warm-weather meals. Crisp bell peppers, refreshing cucumbers, sweet cherry tomatoes, salty cheese, all tossed together with tri-colored rotini and drenched in my homemade Italian dressing. I’ve made it half a dozen times already this season, and once you try it you’ll understand why.
Why You’ll Love It
- Perfect for parties or cookouts since it tastes best when made in advance. I recommend letting the salad sit for at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
- Full of flavor and color, especially if you use tri-color rotini. It’s the perfect refreshing summer side dish for smash burgers, hot dogs, or grilled chicken!
- Includes a super simple homemade dressing that instantly elevates the flavor.
- Easily customized with your favorite pasta, veggies, and added proteins. I talk more about this below!
This recipe is every bit as craveable as my broccoli salad and macaroni salad, I can’t wait for you to try it!
Ingredients
- Italian dressing. You could use a cup or so of store-bought dressing, but I recommend using my homemade version instead, which I’ve written out in the recipe card. It might look like a lot of ingredients when you first glance at the recipe (so don’t panic), but nearly all of them are pantry staples you’ll likely already have on hand.
- Pasta. I love the visual appeal of the tri-color rotini in my pasta salad recipe (PS: it’s naturally colored!), and it comes in 12-oz boxes which is the perfect amount for this recipe. You can use your favorite pasta though (bow ties work well!).
- Chopped veggies. Including bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and pickled pepperoncini peppers. The pepperoncini are one of my favorite additions to this pasta salad recipe! They add tang and a mild heat (NOT spicy though). If you’d like, you can substitute banana peppers or just leave them out. Or throw in more if you like the flavor (I bet you will!).
- Cheese. Feta is my #1 pick, but if you aren’t a fan you can swap in mozzarella pearls (makes a pretty Italian-style pasta salad), cubed cheese, or goat cheese.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: Try to cut your veggies in similar sizes so you can get a little bit of everything in each bite. You don’t need to get quite as precise here as you would with my Texas caviar or pineapple salsa, but try your best to keep things uniform.
How to Make Pasta Salad
SAM’S TIP: The pasta will absorbs the dressing as it sits, so if you’re making this pasta salad recipe more than a few hours advance, you may want to add an extra splash of dressing before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many things that make or break a good pasta salad recipe, but the most important key to a good one is using a good dressing! While, sure, you could use bottled, making your own makes the flavor so much better (the ingredients are typically of a much better quality, too). Additionally, pick the right blend of veggies (done for you, below!) chop them into similar, small sizes so you get a bit in every bite, and use a noodle that the sauce can really cling to! Rotini is great!
Yes! While many people will clutch their pearls over the thought of rinsing pasta (and I’d never do it when making spaghetti with meat sauce or beef ragu), for a pasta salad recipe, it actually makes a lot of sense. Rinsing the pasta 1) stops the cooking (so no mushy, overcooked pasta), and 2) as a bonus cools it down so you can go right into adding the rest of your veggies without cooking them (or wilting your fresh herbs!).
Yes, but I recommend making extra dressing. Pasta, by nature, absorbs the sauce, which can make the salad feel a bit less juicy and more dry the next day. Because of this I’ll often double the sauce. I’ll use what’s called for in the pasta salad, then the next day I’ll add a bit (not all) of the extra I made. Whatever doesn’t go into the salad gets used through the next week or so for my lunch time salads or for a chicken marinade!
More Cookout Staples
This pasta salad recipe will be the star of your summer cookouts and picnics! I can’t wait to hear how you like it ☀️
Enjoy!
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(The Best) Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the homemade dressing (see note)
- ½ cup (118 ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice fresh-squeezed preferred
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
For the pasta salad
- 12 oz uncooked rotini pasta see note
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup (185 g) halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
- ½ (95 g) red bell pepper, diced (about ⅔ cup)
- ½ (95 g) green bell pepper, diced (about ⅔ cup)
- ½ cup (60 g) diced red onion
- ½ cup (75 g) feta cheese
- ¼ cup (37 g) sliced or chopped pepperoncini peppers (may substitute banana peppers)
- ½ cup (72 g) thin-sliced, quartered cucumbers
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Make the dressing (see note): Combine all dressing ingredients in a measuring cup, small bowl, or mason jar, and whisk well. Set aside.½ cup (118 ml) olive oil, ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey, 1 garlic clove pressed, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper, 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- Make the pasta salad: Cook pasta until al dente in well-salted water, according to package instructions. Once finished cooking, immediately drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, then add to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and stir well.12 oz uncooked rotini pasta, 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Add cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, feta cheese, pepperoncini, cucumber, and parsley and toss together to combine.1 cup (185 g) halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, ½ (95 g) red bell pepper, diced, ½ (95 g) green bell pepper, diced, ½ cup (60 g) diced red onion, ½ cup (75 g) feta cheese, ¼ cup (37 g) sliced or chopped pepperoncini peppers, ½ cup (72 g) thin-sliced, quartered cucumbers, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Give the dressing (from above) a good whisk and pour evenly over the other pasta salad ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are well-coated with dressing.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (or longer) before serving (helps deepen flavor!).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Jess
Can you make this the day before?
Sam Merritt
Hi Jess! You can make it the day before you will just want to check the note below the recipe as it will absorb some of the dressing as it sits. 🙂
Misty
Pretty darn good! I like having your macaroni salad recipie made up for a side so I’m glad I have another pasta salad to switch it up a bit! It was delicious!
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Misty! 🙂