Go Back

Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

Italian dressing pasta salad with rotini and crisp vegetables tossed until everything is evenly coated. This easy pasta salad is quick to assemble and chilled for 2 hours for better flavor, with Parmesan and Italian seasoning in every bite.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

rotini pasta
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
Italian dressing
  • 1 bottle (16 oz) Italian dressing
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
cucumber
  • 1 cup cucumber, diced
green bell pepper
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
black olives
  • 0.5 cup black olives, sliced
Parmesan cheese
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until chilled, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stop when the pasta feels cool to the touch and water runs clear.
Build the pasta salad
  1. Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl with the halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced green bell pepper, diced red onion, and sliced black olives. Spread everything out so the vegetables are evenly distributed.
  2. Pour in the Italian dressing, then add the grated Parmesan and Italian seasoning. Toss thoroughly until the dressing coats the pasta and vegetables.
Chill and finish
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours to let the flavors develop. Cover for best results and keep it cold throughout chilling.
  2. Toss again before serving and add more Italian dressing if needed. Serve when the salad looks glossy and vegetables are visibly coated.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the pasta until fully cool so it doesn’t break down in the dressing. Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days; stir once before serving. Freezing isn’t recommended because the vegetables and dressing texture can change. For a lighter option, use a reduced-fat or lower-oil Italian dressing and keep the same amounts of vegetables.