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Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

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4.5 from 56 reviews

This Easy Italian Pasta Salad is a vibrant and refreshing dish featuring tricolor rotini, crisp cucumbers, sweet tomatoes, tangy feta, savory black olives, and zesty Italian dressing. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, or a light lunch, it’s a quick recipe that comes together in just 15 minutes and gets even better after chilling. The salad is highly customizable, allowing you to add more of your favorite ingredients, and keeps well in the fridge for several days.

  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Pasta

  • 1 box (12 oz) tricolor rotini pasta

Vegetables

  • 1 cup chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded, about 1 cucumber)
  • 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup finely diced red onion

Cheese & Olives

  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained

Dressing

  • 1/2 – 1 cup Italian salad dressing (recommend Olive Garden Italian Dressing)

Optional

  • 1–2 teaspoons salt, for pasta water

Instructions

  1. Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tricolor rotini pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Once done, drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool it down and stop the cooking process.
  2. Prepare the Vegetables: While the pasta cools, peel and seed the cucumber (or use mini cucumbers, partially peeled), then chop it into small pieces. Halve the cherry or grape tomatoes and finely dice the red onion.
  3. Combine Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, chopped cucumber, halved tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, sliced black olives, and diced red onion.
  4. Add Dressing: Pour 1/2 cup of Italian dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated. Taste and add more dressing as desired (up to 1 cup total). Reserve extra dressing to refresh the salad before serving if needed.
  5. Chill (Optional) & Serve: The salad can be eaten immediately, but for best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Stir and add more dressing if the salad seems dry before serving.

Notes

  • This recipe is very flexible: add more pasta, olives, tomatoes, or feta to suit your taste.
  • Use your favorite Italian salad dressing for best results—Olive Garden’s brand is highly recommended.
  • Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days; refresh with extra dressing as needed.
  • Pasta salads tend to soak up dressing as they chill—add a bit more right before serving for best texture.
  • If using regular cucumbers, remove excess seeds and water before chopping to avoid a soggy salad.
  • Author: ELLA
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
  • Calories: 313 kcal
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 953 mg
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 9 g
  • Cholesterol: 13 mg

Find it online: https://ellarecipe.com/easy-italian-pasta-salad-recipe/