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Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

Italian dressing pasta that’s an easy pasta salad with crunchy vegetables tossed through rotini. Chilled for 2 hours so the bottled Italian dressing coats everything.
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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
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 16 oz Italian dressing
  • 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

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until cooled.
  2. Spread the pasta out briefly on a flat surface so excess water can steam off for a minute before mixing.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, and black olives in a large bowl.
  2. Add Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning, then toss until every piece looks coated.
Chill and finish
  1. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours so the flavors develop.
  2. Toss again before serving, and add more Italian dressing if needed for an even coating.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the pasta until the water runs cold so it doesn’t keep cooking and turning mushy in the fridge. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; the salad keeps its crunch best within the first 2 days. Freezing is not recommended because vegetables and olives soften after thawing. For a lower-fat swap, use a reduced-fat Parmesan and a lighter Italian dressing.