Easy Pasta Salad Recipe Italian Dressing

This easy pasta salad recipe takes minutes to make. It’s a classic side dish, perfect for BBQs, picnics, or any night of the week!

We love having a go-to side dish to bring to summer parties, and this pasta salad recipe is it! It’s as big of a hit as our Famous Potato Salad or Macaroni Salad.

Summer is all about being lazy, and enjoying time with family! We love to BBQ and gather for dinner with friends. One of our go-to salad recipes is this pasta salad recipe.

The Best Italian Pasta Salad

Our familyhas been making this cold pasta salad for at least 10 years! It’s always a hit when we bring it to events.

Depending on the crowd you’re feeding, or what your family likes, you can customize the ingredients to your choosing. Regardless of what you decide to include, this pasta salad is easy, and simply the best!

We love that this Italian pasta salad recipe can be made in a jiffy. You can make a homemade Italian salad dressing to go with it or use a bottle of store-bought Italian dressing.

Homemade Italian Pasta Salad

The best pasta for pasta salad.Choose a pasta that has nooks and crannies, for little pockets of dressing and herbs to settle. Use short pasta shapes like fusilli, farfalle, rotini, and penne. Their small size makes them perfectly easy to serve and eat in small bites.

Keep it from drying out. Keep the pasta from absorbing all of the dressing, only add ½ of the dressing when tossing it together so that all the flavors can meld together, then add the remaining dressing right before serving.

You can also toss the pasta in a light coating of olive oil to create a barrier so the noodles can’t absorb all the dressing.

Italian Pasta Salad With Pepperoni {healthy Version}

This Italian pasta salad usually includes chunks of cheese, olives, mini pepperoni, and parmesan cheese in our pasta salad with Italian dressing.

Make it ahead of time.Easy pasta salad is best when eaten right after adding the dressing. To make it ahead of time, store the dressing in a separate container, and toss it with the pasta salad before you serve/eat it.

STORE. Keep this pasta salad in an airtight container. Leftovers will last in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. You can have pasta salad for lunches and dinners all week!

Easy Pasta Salad Recipe (the Best!)

FREEZE. While I do not recommend freezing this pasta salad, you can freeze some of the ingredients separately. Avoid freezing any of the fresh produce, because they’ll become mushy once they thaw. You can freeze the cheese cubes, pepperoni, and pasta.

To serve the pasta quickly, rinse the pasta with cold water to cool it off faster. If you have time for the pasta to cool in the fridge, then toss the warm pasta in half of the dressing. The pasta will absorb the flavors as it cools.

Cook the pasta and toss it in half of the dressing. Store the other ingredients in separate containers. Before serving, add the remaining dressing and toss it with the rest of the toppings.

Ranch Pasta Salad

Since this salad is a summer party favorite, we love to serve it alongside Burgers or Ribs and, of course, Grilled Corn on the Cob.

This easy pasta salad recipe takes minutes to make. It's a classic side dish, perfect for BBQs, picnics, or any night of the week!

Make Ahead: This pasta salad is best when eaten right after you put on the additional dressing after chilling. If you want to make it ahead of time, combine all ingredients except the dressing in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate. Toss with the dressing right before serving.

The Best Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing (easy Recipe)

Serving: 1 g , Calories: 344 kcal , Carbohydrates: 46 g , Protein: 11 g , Fat: 13 g , Saturated Fat: 4 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g , Trans Fat: 0.1 g , Cholesterol: 15 mg , Sodium: 515 mg , Potassium: 178 mg , Fiber: 2 g , Sugar: 4 g , Vitamin A: 123 IU , Vitamin C: 0.1 mg , Calcium: 77 mg , Iron: 1 mg

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

My new cookbook is the ultimate resource for feeding your friends and family with 200+ simple recipes including videos, tips & more!Italian Pasta Salad is loaded with yummy ingredients. Everything from salami, cherry tomatoes, and olives, to fresh mozzarella and more! This pasta salad recipe comes together quickly. This is one delicious pasta salad that will impress your guests!

Easy Pasta Salad With The Best Italian Dressing

Sometimes you just want something different as a side dish. Especially in the summer! Some side dishes don't hold up too well. This delicious pasta salad does!

I like a pasta salad that is loaded with good stuff. That's what is so nice about this easy Italian Pasta Salad, it has lots of yummy ingredients.

It depends on what you are going to put in it. For this pasta salad, I like rotini, farfalle (bow-ties), or penne. All three of those hold up well with all of the mixing, and look nice, too!

Italian Pasta Salad With Homemade Italian Dressing

Really you can use what you have. The main tip is to cook the pasta only until it is al dente. That means it still has a little tooth, or firmness to it. Just not too soft.

Yes you can! That's what I usually do. It's just so easy, and there are many brands and varieties out there to choose from. Even Olive Garden has theirs for sale! Hint - It's yummy!

You can make your own if you like, either from scratch, or from a dressing packet. As long as it has good flavor that you like!

Easy Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

Yes it is! This recipe makes about 10 servings, so you will have plenty for a first meal, then the next several days worth of lunches.

Italian Pasta Salad is loaded with yummy ingredients. Salami, cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella and more! This pasta salad recipe comes together quickly.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More

Best Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.When it comes to potluck side dishes, cold pasta salad or macaroni salad is a must! It’s always a hit with the crowd and is so simple to throw together. Plus the leftovers taste delicious all week long (that is, if there are any!).

Best Italian Pasta Salad Recipe (video)

I got this easy pasta salad recipe from my mother-in-law and changed a few things up to make it my own. It’s made with just noodles, veggies, and a tangy Italian dressing. I mean, does it get more simple than that?!

Simply throw in your favorite extras to make it your own and dig in! Trust me, this is a dish that your whole family will love. It really is a favorite around our house!

Take all your favorite ingredients and toss them in the best pasta salad recipe with Italian dressing! This easy pasta salad recipe has fresh veggies cut up, the perfect grape tomatoes sliced, and soft cheese to make this Italian salad the perfect combination!

Simple Pasta Salad Recipe

Combine all the easy pasta salad recipe ingredients into one serving bowl to create a delicious and beautiful salad everyone loves! It is a simple salad that comes together quickly and easily. Kids to adults love this salad whenever it is served at your family gathering!

Italian easy pasta salad recipe is a unique salad with all the flavor! It is a savory salad with hints of sweetness from the cherry tomatoes. Add in extra ingredients, change the noodles, and learn all the tips for making the best pasta salad side dish!

Some thoughts on avoiding when making pasta salad are making sure you have the right size and shape of pasta. It is best not to overcook or undercook the pasta, make sure the pasta is cooled and not warm when adding the dressing and mixing

Italian Pasta Salad Recipe