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    Home » Recipes » Pastas

    Easy Italian Pasta Salad

    Modified: Apr 7, 2025 · Published: May 2, 2023 by Kristin · This post may contain affiliate links. · 1 Comment

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    This Easy Italian Pasta Salad is a simple yet flavorful dish perfect for any occasion. Made with tender rotini pasta, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp broccoli, tangy olives, and creamy mozzarella cheese covered in Italian dressing. This classic recipe is the perfect balance of flavors and textures. Serve this at your next potluck, picnic, BBQ, or any occasion!

    tender rotini noodles coated in Italian dressing with added broccoli, salama, mozzarella, and tomatoes

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    Jump to:
    • Italian Pasta Salad
    • Pasta Salad Ingredients
    • Best Pasta to use in Pasta Salad
    • How to make Italian Pasta Salad
    • Tips for the best Italian Pasta Salad
    • Storing Pasta Salad and Making Ahead of Time
    • FAQ’s
    • More Summer Favorites
    • Easy Italian Pasta Salad

    Italian Pasta Salad

    If you’re looking for the BEST pasta salad recipe, look no further! This tasty pasta dish can be ready to serve in only 20 minutes and is PACKED with flavor! Store bought Italian dressing is the key to success! Yes, you can make your own homemade version if desired, but for a shortcut everyone will enjoy, keep it simple and use a bottle of Italian dressing.

    Classic pasta salad is perfect for taking to BBQ’s, potlucks, parties, and just about any occasion! When friends or family comes over, this pasta salad is almost always one of the first things I make! Keep it simple, or dress it up with lots of fresh veggies, cheeses, meats, and more! So many great options to make this your own!

    If you’re a Chicken Bacon Ranch fan, also check out my Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad for a creamy, flavorful summer dish that adds a fun variation of flavor!

    Pasta Salad Ingredients

    See printable recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and step by step instructions.

    • Pasta- I use tri-color rotini for an added color boost
    • Italian Dressing- Robusto Italian is my go-to
    • Broccoli- fresh is best, chopped
    • Tomatoes- grape tomatoes, halved
    • Olives- sliced
    • Mozzarella- diced, or you can buy the mozzarella pearls
    • Salami- chopped

    a summer favorite pasta salad with italian dressing

    Ingredient Variations

    Our go-to version includes broccoli, tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, and occasionally black olives. You can easily omit whichever ingredients you aren’t a fan of and use others in it’s place. Here are some great options to try:

    • Meat- diced ham, chicken, shrimp, crab, or pepperoni
    • Veggies- diced bell peppers, cucumbers, pepperoncini, and onions
    • Cheese- feta cheese works great in place of the mozzarella cheese

    Best Pasta to use in Pasta Salad

    Choose a pasta that has substance to it. A thicker noodle that has little pockets or spots for the dressing and other goodies to get into and coat. We prefer using Rotini; however, fusilli, farfalle, and penne work great too. These are all great pastas that are smaller, bite sized, and easier for everyone to devour!

    How to make Italian Pasta Salad

    1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
    2. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
    3. Combine remaining ingredient into large bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

    pasta salad with Italian dressing

    Tips for the best Italian Pasta Salad

    • Use an Italian Dressing that you love! My go-to is Robusto Italian, however, I know lots of people love Olive Garden Italian Dressing on theirs.
    • Adjust salad dressing amount to fit taste. I like using about ¾ of the bottle and saving the additional ¼ to use on top just before serving or for leftovers.
    • Cook pasta to al dente. The dressing on top of the pasta also helps soften the noodles, so be sure not to over-cook pasta.
    • While pasta is boiling, about 1-2 minutes prior to being cooked, add in the broccoli. Then drain water and continue following directions. This gives the broccoli an added green touch and slightly cooks it, but still keeps it crisp.
    • Make it a complete meal by adding in your choice of meat. We love grilling chicken or kabobs with this and dicing up leftovers into the pasta salad for a meal the next day.

    Storing Pasta Salad and Making Ahead of Time

    Make Ahead of Time: this pasta salad is best when served right after the dressing is added. If you want to prepare this ahead of time, add the pasta and ingredients together minus the salad dressing. When ready to serve, add in the dressing and toss to coat.

    Storing: place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing this as the textures will change and get too mushy.

    pasta salad with lots of added vegetables and cheeses

    FAQ’s

    Is Pasta Salad an American thing?

    Pasta salad is a salad dish prepared with one or more types of pasta, almost always chilled, and most often tossed in a vinegar, oil, or mayonnaise-based dressing. It is typically served as an appetizer, side dish or a main course. Pasta salad is often regarded as a spring or summertime meal, but it can be served any time of year. Although it has quickly become an American favorite, it actually originated in Italy.

    What do you serve with pasta salad?

    Anything served at potlucks, picnics, summer outings, and more pair perfectly with pasta salad. Some classic favorites are hamburgers, panini’s, grilled chicken, corn, baked beans, and more!

    Should you rinse the pasta before making pasta salad?

    Yes! Rinse the pasta with cold water prior to assembling the pasta salad as this will stop the cooking process and allow you to add in all the other ingredients, including the cheese, without it melting.

    What are the top mistakes people do when making pasta salad?

    People use the wrong pasta, overcook the pasta to the point it falls apart and gets mushy, not adding enough Italian dressing, making the pasta salad too far in advance, and not adding in enough veggies/meats. Be sure to read the tips above to ensure the perfect pasta salad each and every time!

    tender pasta coated in dressing and added tomatoes, broccoli, cheeses, and veggies

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    tender rotini noodles coated in Italian dressing with added broccoli, salama, mozzarella, and tomatoes

    Easy Italian Pasta Salad

    Recipe by: Kristin
    This Easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe has salami, mozzarella cheese, veggies, and pasta with a flavor packed Italian dressing! It's a quick summer staple everyone will enjoy!
    4.50 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 231 kcal

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowls

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb tri-color rotini, cooked
    • 1 bottle Robusto Italian dressing
    • 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
    • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
    • 1 cup olives, sliced
    • 1 cup mozzarella, diced
    • salami, chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Cook pasta according to boxed directions. Drain and allow to cool completely.
    • To assemble pasta salad, place cooked pasta, broccoli, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and salami in a large bowl.
    • Pour desired amount of dressing on top of pasta mixture and toss to coat. Use as much or little dressing as desired to taste.
    • Refrigerate until ready to serve! Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 637mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 397IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @TheCookinChicks or tag #TheCookinChicks!

    Recipe updated 5/2/23

     

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    1. Foodies Network » Mom’s Pasta Salad says:
      July 22, 2014 at 8:58 am

      […] Mom’s Pasta Salad […]

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    Welcome to The Cookin' Chicks…I am so glad you've stopped by! I am Kristin, a busy mom of 3, a wife, and a family chef! There are three things that motivate me each day - Family, Faith, and FOOD! I, along with the occasional help of friends and family, want to share my food creations with you! So, I invite you to join me around my dinner table through the recipes that I will share with you here. I hope you will enjoy the journey as much as I do!

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