Italian cold pasta salad - Easy cold pasta salad recipe with rotini pasta, yummy vegetables, mozzarella cheese & homemade Italian dressing!
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I would love to have this vegetarian Italian pasta salad at any time of the day. The colorful vegetables & Italian flavors make it an awesome salad.
This Italian pasta salad is a complete meal in itself. All you need to do is just prepare the Italian salad dressing & cook pasta.
Just toss it together with your favorite vegetables, taste & adjust the seasoning & the salad is ready.
The best part is you can make them ahead of time. Just prepare the salad & refrigerate it in the morning to consume it for dinner.
It tastes better when served cold. Also, the flavors get enough time to mingle together.
Recipe Features
- Quick & easy to make - Just toss the pasta with the salad dressing & the salad is ready.
- Easy to customize – see the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
- Homemade Italian salad dressing - you can use store-bought. In this recipe, I have shown how to make pasta salad dressing.
- Make-ahead recipe - You can make it ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Vegetarian - No eggs or meat is used to make the salad.
Ingredients
For Italian cold pasta salad
- Pasta - Rotini pasta is the best choice to make the salad. But you can make it with any other pasta of your choice.
- Vegetables - I have used bell peppers, baby tomatoes, carrot, English cucumber, red onion. They add fresh flavors, crunch & beautiful colors to the salad. You can add any veggies of your choice.
- Olives - sliced pitted black olives
- Fresh Herbs - Fresh coriander leaves/cilantro & basil leaves (optional).
- Cheese - Mozzarella cheese cubes. You can use any soft cheese as a substitute. You can also sprinkle some grated parmesan.
For Italian dressing
- Olive oil - This is the best choice for any salad dressing. I do not recommend substituting it.
- Vinegar - Gives a slight tangy punch to the taste buds.
- Lemon juice - Optional. You can add vinegar only for a tangy flavor.
- Honey - It gives a sweet flavor & balances the tanginess of lemon & vinegar.
- Sriracha - It gives a spicy kick with garlic flavor. To substitute, you can use any chili garlic sauce. Or use red pepper flakes to give a spicy zing to the salad. If you do not prefer spicy salad just skip it.
- Seasoning - Add salt, Italian seasoning & black pepper powder as per taste.
- Garlic - finely chop the garlic before adding it to the salad.
- Fresh basil leaves - It adds a fresh flavor to the salad. You can skip it as the Italian seasoning already has basil in it.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Boil water & add salt. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain & immediately rinse it with cold water & set it aside.
Step 2: Saute the bell pepper & carrots for 2-3 minutes in a pan over high heat. Make sure they retain the crunch. It enhances the flavor & aroma of capsicum. Let it cool down completely.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients mentioned under the salad dressing.
Step 4: Add the sautéed bell pepper & carrots, cucumber, onion, olives, cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes & cooked pasta.
Step 5: Toss all the ingredients together. Taste & adjust the seasoning.
Step 6: Cover with a cling wrap & refrigerate for an hour. Taste best when served chill.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta until al dente - Cook it as per the instructions given on the package. Mushy or overcooked pasta will not taste good.
- Rinse pasta with cold water - It will stop the cooking process immediately. Also, the excess starch is rinsed with the water that makes the pasta sticky.
- Tastes best when served cold.
- Let the pasta salad sit in the dressing at least for an hour. This ensures that the pasta & the vegetables get enough time to soak the flavors from the dressing.
- Saute the veggie - You can add the vegetables raw. Classic pasta salad recipes do not call for cooking the veggies before adding it.
- But sautéing the bell pepper & carrots for 2-3 minutes brings in the best flavor. Let it cool down completely before adding it to the pasta salad.
- Make some extra dressing for salad - In case there are leftovers then you can use the dressing. Leftovers when refrigerated become dry. When ready to serve, pour the excess dressing, toss it with the salad & serve.
- You can make the dressing in advance & let it chill in the refrigerator. The dressing may firm up when kept it the refrigerator. Take it out 30 minutes before making the salad. Let it come to room temperature. Shake it well before use.
Variations that you can try
- You can add the vegetables of your choice. Add blanched broccoli, boiled corns or sliced celery, etc.
- You can add some shredded chicken, or pepperoni or salami slices.
- Add grated parmesan cheese to the dressing or the topping of the salad.
Storage suggestions
To Refrigerate
- Keep pasta salad in an air-tight container & store it in the refrigerator. Consume it within 2 days.
Related recipes
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Recipe Card
Easy cold pasta salad with Italian dressing | Italian cold pasta salad
Ingredients
For pasta salad
- 2 cups rotini pasta uncooked
- 1 cup bell peppers diced (red, yellow & green)
- ½ cup baby tomatoes halved
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 large English cucumber diced
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup sliced pitted black olives
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped coriander leaves/cilantro
- ¼ cup mozzarella cheese cubes
For Italian pasta salad dressing
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Boil water & add salt. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain & immediately rinse it with cold water & set it aside.
- Saute the bell pepper & carrots for 2-3 minutes in a pan over high heat. Make sure they retain the crunch. It enhances the flavor & aroma of capsicum. Let it cool down completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients mentioned under the salad dressing.
- Add the sautéed bell pepper & carrots, cucumber, onion, olives, cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes & cooked pasta.
- Toss all the ingredients together. Taste & adjust the seasoning.
- Cover with a cling wrap & refrigerate for an hour. Taste best when served chill.
Video
Notes
- Immediately after cooking the pasta, drain it. Rinse it with cold water. It will stop the cooking process immediately. Also, the excess starch is rinsed with the water that makes the pasta sticky.
- Prepare some extra dressing for the salad. In case there are leftovers then you can use the dressing. Leftovers when refrigerated become dry. When ready to serve, pour the dressing, toss it with the salad & serve.
- You can make the dressing in advance & let it chill in the refrigerator. The dressing may firm up when kept it the refrigerator. Take it out 30 minutes before making the salad. Let it come to room temperature. Shake it well before use.
- Stays good for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Preeti
On hot days when cooking feels like a chore, this cold pasta salad is a lifesaver. It's fresh, easy, and ready in minutes. I’ve made it countless times, and it’s the perfect way to enjoy a tasty and filling meal without spending long hours in the kitchen.