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Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

Italian dressing pasta salad that’s quick to assemble and loaded with chopped vegetables. Rotini is cooked, cooled, then tossed with bottled Italian dressing for an even coating before chilling for flavor.
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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: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then cook rotini pasta according to package directions until tender, about 10 minutes. Visual cue: the pasta should be cooked through but still hold its shape.
  2. Drain the rotini pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Visual cue: the pasta looks cool and slippery, not steaming.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, and black olives. Visual cue: vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the pasta.
  2. Add Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning, then toss until everything is coated. Visual cue: the pasta strands and vegetable pieces look glossy from the dressing.
Chill and finish
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to develop. Visual cue: the salad thickens slightly and the vegetables look crisp.
  2. Toss again before serving and add more Italian dressing if needed. Visual cue: coating looks fresh and consistent on every bite.

Notes

For the best texture, rinse the pasta thoroughly with cold water so it doesn’t keep cooking or clump. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 4 days; the salad doesn’t freeze well due to vegetable and dressing texture. If you want it lighter, swap half the Italian dressing for an equal amount of low-sodium Italian vinaigrette while keeping the same chilling time.