Friends, this is the pasta salad recipe that I grew up on! A simple mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and pasta, all tossed together in a zesty and tangy Italian dressing. It’s a classic! And it was always everyone’s favorite side dish at summer BBQs and cookouts! It’s fresh, vibrant, and it definitely feeds a crowd. There are also lots of ways you can customize this easy pasta salad to fit within your budget and make it your own. I’m sharing a basic version in today’s post, but I’ll also share lots of fun ways to switch things up!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this traditional pasta salad recipe:
- Pasta: I opted for rotini pasta because it’s easy to grab with a fork and it’s little crevices are perfect for holding the salad dressing. With that being said, my mom always made this recipe with spaghetti pasta…and it was always a hit! So use your favorite pasta or whatever you have on hand. Bowtie pasta also works well!
- Vegetables: A variety of fresh vegetables like bell peppers, cucumber, onion and tomatoes adds lots of color, flavor, and texture! I chose red and orange bell peppers for lots of color, but feel free to use whichever color you prefer.
- Salad Dressing: Tangy Italian dressing is a classic with this recipe and brings the entire salad together. I’ll list a couple more options below.
- Cheese: Just a little bit of feta cheese adds a nice creamy-salty flavor to the salad.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh chopped parsley tops off this veggie-packed pasta salad!
Pasta Salad Dressing
Since I usually make this recipe for potlucks & BBQs, along with a few other dishes, I find it a lot easier to buy bottled Italian dressing simply for convenience. But if you have a well stocked pantry, you can totally make your own vinaigrette dressing to add to this pasta salad. You can also try our homemade Italian dressing, a greek vinaigrette, or a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
What Else Can I Add?
Salad Seasoning: McCormick salad seasoning is another popular ingredient in pasta salads and something that I often use when making this recipe. I was tempted to add it this time until I saw the current price at my local store. It’s definitely a splurge! I also find myself not using the entire bottle before it expires. But I’m happy to report this version tastes just as good without the added seasoning mix. But if you do have the extra coins, add 2 Tbsp of salad seasoning to your pasta salad for even more flavor!!
Other Ingredients: What I love most about pasta salads is that they’re super easy to customize. Try swapping out some of the veggies or adding any of these options:
- Broccoli florets, roughly chopped
- Kalamata olives
- Roasted red peppers
- Zucchini
- Salami
- Mozzarella cubes or pearls
- Parmesan cheese
Storing Leftovers
This pasta salad recipe stores very well in the refrigerator. It often tastes better the next day after the salad has had plenty of time to marinate in the dressing. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pasta Salad
Servings 10 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 1 lb. rotini pasta ($1.25)
- 1 english cucumber ($1.49)
- 1 red bell pepper ($1.59)
- 1 orange bell pepper ($1.59)
- 10 oz. grape tomatoes ($2.49)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.37)
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley ($0.29)
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese ($1.83)
- 16 oz. bottled zesty Italian dressing ($2.50)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water to cool off the pasta. Drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the veggies. Slice the cucumber into half moons, chop the bell peppers, slice the tomatoes in half, thinly slice the red onion, and chop the parsley. Set the vegetables and chopped parsley aside.
- Once the pasta has drained, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the chopped vegetables, chopped parsley and feta cheese.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta salad. Toss the salad ingredients together until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, I added about ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.*
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Pasta Salad – Step by Step Photos
Cook 1 lb. of rotini pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water to cool off the pasta. Drain well.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the veggies. Slice 1 cucumber into half moons, chop 1 red bell pepper and 1 orange bell pepper, slice 10 oz. of grape tomatoes in half, thinly slice 1/2 red onion, and chop 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley. Set the vegetables and herbs aside.
Once the pasta has drained, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the chopped vegetables, chopped parsley and 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.
Pour 16 oz. of zesty Italian dressing over the pasta salad. Sometimes I like to reserve 1/4 cup of the dressing to add right before I serve it.
Toss the salad ingredients together until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, I added about ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. I prefer to let it refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours prior to serving so all the flavors can marry together. If you are making this ahead of time, wait to add the feta cheese until right before serving.
Enjoy this tasty pasta salad recipe at your next summer BBQ, potluck, or family gathering!
I made this recipe exactly like it was written. I use the overnight method and added the feta cheese the next day before our church potluck. This was a huge success and I had to share the recipe!
I made the pasta salad and it was delicious. Chilling it makes it even better. The dish goes over very well with lunch and dinner
This recipe lists an entire bottle of Italian dressing… not sure if this is a typo or not. I made this with approximately a third of a bottle and it was plenty. I’d suggest adding slowly until coated. Overall an ok recipe but it feels like it’s lacking something (and not more dressing haha). Could be a good base recipe to build off of.
I’m sure it wasn’t a typo. Normally one bottle per pound of pasta should suffice.
Delicious! I add Italian seasoning.
I make this recipe only I add cubes of cojack cheese and cubes of ham steaks. I also use the tri color rotini pasta, but I like the idea of mixing in some spaghetti with the rotini. I don’t like too much spice in my Italian dressing so I add a little raspberry vinaigrette in to tone it down.
I love this recipe! I am allergic to cucumbers so substituted a little diced celery. Added diced hard salami and diced ham and it made the best summer meal ever!
Looks so good – I enjoy a good cold pasta salad during the summer months