By: Becky Hardin
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This Classic Italian Pasta Salad Recipe is the cold pasta salad you need to be serving this summer! Made with tri-colored rotini pasta, this easy dish comes together in less than twenty minutes. It’s the perfect dish to serve at cookouts and summer parties.
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Classic Pasta Salad
Is it even summer without a delicious pasta salad? I always love serving up a big bowl at our summer parties, or taking it along to cookouts at friends’. Loaded with fresh Italian ingredients, this dish is always a hit!
How to make this Classic Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Cook the pasta to al-dente, per package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking; shake off excess liquid. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Pour the cooked pasta onto the paper towels to let the pasta dry 10-15 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add pasta, salami, tomatoes, onions, Mozzarella, peperoncini, olives and basil; stir to combine.
- Pour ¾ cup dressing over the pasta salad and toss well (all pasta ingredients should be coated with the dressing).
- Refrigerate in an airtight container until time to serve and add the remaining ¼ cup dressing. Toss together until well incorporated and serve.
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Cold Pasta Recipe
A cold pasta salad is always a great option for a side dish during the summer months. You can make it ahead of time and it comes together so easily.
Italian meats add a real depth of flavor to this pasta and fresh basil leaves give it an amazing lift. Tri-colored pasta makes it extra pretty and perfect to serve to guests.
What goes with Classic Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
Generally I serve this up as a side dish, along with some grilled meats, a Potato Salad and a big leafy green salad. Just pop the big bowl into the middle of the table and everyone can help themselves for easy entertaining.
This Italian Pasta Salad also keeps well, covered in the fridge for 3-4 days, so it’s also a great option for make ahead cold lunches and dinners.
What to pair with Classic Pasta Salad
Pasta Salad goes with everything, lets face it! Here are some of our favorite ways to pair this perfect Italian pasta salad recipe for Summer!
- Grilled Burgers
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Baked Chili Dogs
- Butter Burger Recipe
- Crockpot Ribs
- Egg Salad
- Chicken Avocado Pitas
- BLT Sandwich
- Slow Cooker French Dip
What makes this pasta salad Italian?
I love the classic Italian flavors in this salad – it quite simply tastes like summer! The Italian ingredients that make up this dish are;
- Rotini Pasta
- Italian Salami
- Glory Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Mozzarella Pearls
- Peperoncini
- Olives
- Basil Leaves
- Italian Dressing
Be sure to use the freshest and best quality ingredients that you can for a real hit of flavor!
Tips!
- I love using tri-colored pasta for this dish, but you can use plain if that’s all you have.
- If you are making this pasta ahead of time, you will have to add a bit more dressing before you serve it (see instructions).
- Cook the pasta al-dente.
- Use your favorite store-bought Italian dressing for this recipe.
Be sure to check out these other summer salad recipes!
- Green Goddess Pasta Salad Recipe
- Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
- Caesar Salad Recipe (Classic Caesar Salad)
- Easy Macaroni Salad
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Recipe
Classic Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
4.59 from 51 votes
Author: Becky Hardin
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Total: 10 minutes minutes
Serves8 people
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This Classic Italian Pasta Salad Recipe is the cold pasta salad you need to be serving this summer! Made with tri-colored rotini pasta, this easy dish comes together in less than twenty minutes. It's the perfect dish to serve at cookouts and summer parties.
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Cookie Rookie.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces tri-colored rotini pasta (1 box)
- ½ cup hard Italian salami chopped or thinly-sliced
- 1 pint Glory tomatoes cherry-type tomatoes, quartered
- ¼ cup minced red onions
- 1 cup mini mozzarella balls 8 ounces pearls, halved
- ½ cup diced Peperoncini
- ¼ cup pitted sliced black or green olives
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup Italian dressing vinaigrette **See note for alternate dressing
Instructions
Cook the pasta to al-dente, per package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking; shake off excess liquid. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Pour the cooked pasta onto the paper towels to let the pasta dry 10-15 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, add pasta, salami, tomatoes, onions, Mozzarella, peperoncini, olives and basil; stir to combine.
Pour ¾ cup dressing over the pasta salad and toss well (all pasta ingredients should be coated with the dressing).
Refrigerate in an airtight container until time to serve and add the remaining ¼ cup dressing. Toss together until well incorporated and serve.
Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
*Note: For an alternate vinaigrette, use Penzey’s Italian Dressing Base.
Whisk together 3 tablespoons Penzey’s Italian Dressing Base with 2 tablespoons water; let rest 5 minutes. Whisk 1 cup vegetable (or canola oil) and ½ cup white vinegar; add the Italian Dressing/water mixture and whisk.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 307kcal (15%) Carbohydrates: 38g (13%) Protein: 10g (20%) Fat: 13g (20%) Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) Cholesterol: 10mg (3%) Sodium: 532mg (23%) Potassium: 306mg (9%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 6g (7%) Vitamin A: 585IU (12%) Vitamin C: 14.8mg (18%) Calcium: 67mg (7%) Iron: 0.9mg (5%)
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