Name: Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 box (12 oz) tricolor rotini pasta; 1 cup chopped cucumber ((peeled and seeded, about 1 cucumber)); 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomates; 1 cup crumbled feta cheese; 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives (drained); 1/4 cup finely diced red onion; 1/2 - 1 cup Italian salad dressing

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Easy Italian Pasta Salad takes just minutes to make with spiral rotini pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, black olives, and feta cheese covered in Italian dressing. Such a quick, easy, and delicious pasta salad recipe.

If you're look for an easy Italian pasta salad recipe then you found it!

I have found that the best way & easiest way to make pasta salads are with store-bought bottled salad dressing. It sounds crazy and I know some may totally disagree because it's not "homemade" but I am telling you that it really does make pasta salad so easy to make and so flavorful.

Just look at this ranch pasta salad, which is one of the most popular recipes on the blog. Same idea as today's but with bottled ranch dressing and shredded parmesan cheese.

This easy recipe for Italian pasta salad has spiral noodles, chopped cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, black olives, red onion, and feta cheese covered in Italian dressing. The flavors blend together so nicely!

HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

Cook up a box of tricolor rotini pasta noodles according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, chop up a cucumber, red onion, and cut some grape tomatoes in half.

When the pasta is done transfer it to a colander (that's sitting in the sink) and let it drain. Turn the faucet all the way to cold and let it run over the pasta for several minutes so the pasta can cool down. You don't want to add hot pasta to the bowl!

It's easy from here. Add all your ingredients into the mixing bowl and stir together. This easy Italian pasta salad is good served right away or let it refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Just be sure to give it a good stir and you may need to add a tablespoon or two of Italian dressing to moisten it back up again.

MY TIPS FOR MAKING EASY ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

Be sure and salt the pasta water before adding the dry pasta
Use an Italian dressing that you LOVE. I really like the Olive Garden Italian dressing so that is the one that I buy. There are so many options. Zesty Italian dressing, creamy Italian dressing, parmesan Italian dressing. Pick one you love or one that sounds yummy!
It's best to seed the cucumbers for this pasta salad. Peel the cucumber and then cut it in half vertically (so you end up with two thinner, longer pieces). Take a metal dinner spoon and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Then cut and dice the cucumber.
Use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. Either one will work great.
Eat this pasta salad right away or let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. It's best not to make pasta salad the day before, because pasta salad tends to dry out as it sits in the fridge for a long time. When you are ready to serve, or are eating leftovers, give the salad a good stir and add a tablespoon or two of the dressing to moisten it all back up again.
The recipe calls for ¾ cup Italian dressing but feel free to use more or less depending on preference.

TRY THESE OTHER EASY RECIPES FOR PASTA SALADS

Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Jessica

Easy Italian Pasta Salad takes just minutes to make with spiral rotini pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, black olives, and feta cheese covered in Italian dressing. So quick, easy, and delicious!

4.37 from 102 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 313 kcal

Ingredients

1 box (12 oz) tricolor rotini pasta
1 cup chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded, about 1 cucumber)
1 cup halved cherry or grape tomates
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives drained
¼ cup finely diced red onion
½ - 1 cup Italian salad dressing

Instructions

Cook pasta according to box instructions. Remember to salt your pasta water with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. When pasta is done, drain it and run cold water over it so the noodles can cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked and cooled pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, and red onion. Pour Italian dressing over it and stir together.
*Start with ½ cup Italian dressing and go from there. I put about ¾ cup dressing on the salad and then reserve the rest to add to the salad before serving to moisten it back up.
Can be eaten right away or refrigerated for a few hours before serving.
* I like it cold so I refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.

Video

Notes

Tip : This Italian pasta salad recipe is so versatile! If you like more pasta than go ahead and use more than the one box called for (of course you will probably have to add more dressing). If you prefer more olive or tomato, or even the red onion, then add more of that ingredient. I always add more feta cheese because I absolutely love feta cheese.

Italian Dressing : Use an Italian dressing that you like. The flavor really comes through so use a good one. I highly recommend the Olive Garden Italian Dressing. It is the best tasting store-bought dressing I have found. Feel free to use a lite Italian salad dressing if you prefer.

Leftovers : They keep well in a covered container in the fridge for several days (about 3-4 days). If you are making this salad the day ahead of when you need it, then be sure and stir it together and add slightly more dressing to moisten it all back up. As a pasta salad sits in the fridge the pasta will soak up the dressing which can dry out the salad a bit. But adding additional dressing will fix that problem. I prefer to make this salad the day of and let it refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. I prefer a cold pasta salad but this salad can be eaten right away after making it.

Cucumbers : I like to use mini cucumbers, also called salad cucumbers, because they have hardly any seeds in them. So all I do is peel halfway (I like some green skin in the salad), cut in half lengthwise and then cut into small pieces. You can use regular cucumbers but they do have more water and seeds in them so be sure and take the seeds and pulpy stuff out of the middle before chopping. I use a metal table spoon and just slide it down the middle to remove all that stuff. You will be left with a crescent moon shape that you can chop small.

This recipe has been updated with new pictures & some more helpful tips in January 2021. Recipe is the same, it's just new pictures.

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 9gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 953mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 369IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Italian pasta salad, pasta salad, side dish

Did you make this recipe?Tag @togetherasfamilyblog on Instagram

Comments

Sharon Marcus

September 23, 2019 at 5:56 am

I also added frozen corn, sweet roasted peppers and a can of red beans.

- Together As Family
  
  October 09, 2019 at 11:14 am
  
  Sounds amazing! Thanks so much for your comment.
  
- Linda Swoveland
  
  May 31, 2021 at 4:38 pm
  
  I Omitted the olives since I don't care for them. I added finely diced mini colored peppers and added about a half cup each each of tomatoes and mini cucumbers and little cubes of hard salami. I made this pasta salad to go along with steaks my husband grilled.
  It was delicious.
  
  - Together As Family
    
    June 17, 2021 at 11:19 am
    
    Yummy! I love your changes. The salami sounds delicious.
    
Susan

November 29, 2019 at 10:06 pm

This salad is on point! I followed the recipe and it turned out great! Took this to a family gathering and everyone loved it! I will definitely keep this in my favorites. Thank you!

Carolyn McGee

January 19, 2020 at 12:37 pm

I added lump crabmeat and shrimp chopped up and everyone wanted the recipe

Emilija

July 14, 2020 at 5:07 am

Second meal I ever made by myself. I feel pleasantly full, and my family probably too!

Kelly Bessel

July 19, 2020 at 7:26 pm

This was such a simple and easy recipe. And wow, was it a hit for the Fourth of July. My sister, who turned 60 requested it for her party a week later. It’s now being requested that I make it for a graduation. Definitely a keeper!! Thank you for sharing the recipe

Vicki

August 31, 2020 at 3:52 pm

Loved this - as did everyone at the cookout. So quick and easy. I had to improvise a bit, as I didn't have tri-color rotini or Feta on hand. Used elbow macaroni and freshly grated Parmesan and it was DELICIOUS! Can't wait to make again. And again. And again.

Donna

June 01, 2022 at 2:45 pm

I add salami and sharp white cheddar cheese instead of feta, marinated artichoke and pepperocini peppers

Janice

June 08, 2022 at 12:49 am

This was so good. We don’t like Feta Cheese. So I used Mozarella Cheese instead.

Bill Baker

June 19, 2022 at 11:05 pm

I added some diced extra sharp cheddar, diced red and green peppers and some chopped mushrooms and fresh garlic to it.

Chris L.

July 04, 2022 at 6:24 pm

I make this with Greek vinaigrette instead of Italian. It’s always a hit.

Christine

July 24, 2022 at 9:40 am

This is the best pasta salad recipe out there...It's so customizable! I swapped the Feta for cubed Swiss (my daughter's request) and also added cubed hard salami. The second time I made it I also added broccoli to the last 4 minutes of pasta cooking time & drained them together. The broccoli stayed bright green and was just-enough-tender and worked nicely with the other ingredients. Fabulous recipe. I keep coming back to your page again & again to get it. Thanks so much!

- Together As Family
  
  August 16, 2022 at 10:09 pm
  
  Thank you! So glad you love it and thanks for your comment and feedback. I appreciate it.
  
Tatiana

July 29, 2022 at 11:48 am

Thank you for giving me a simple easy recipe I can understand and use. I am not much of a cook, so this really helps me to try to learn. I have an Italian function to attend at my church and I've decided to take this pasta. So, I hope it goes well, but my reading the previous comments, I think it will turn out great!!

- Together As Family
  
  August 16, 2022 at 10:03 pm
  
  You're welcome. That is my goal, is to make recipes easy for anyone to make. I hope it was a hit! Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it.
  
Janice

August 28, 2022 at 7:21 am

Excellent!

Trista Van Hoose

September 04, 2022 at 5:03 pm

I make this recipe almost every 4th and whenever we do cookouts with a lot of people. Massive crowd pleaser! We’re big fans! Feeds a lot of people without a ton of work! My kind of recipe!