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A classic pasta salad recipe is a staple at just about every summer picnic! With noodles, fresh veggies, and Italian salad dressing, the easy vegetarian dish is perfect alongside grilled chicken, grilled salmon, marinated flank steak, shrimp, and grilled hamburgers.
If you love cold pasta salad recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this easy pasta salad with mayo, a tasty broccoli grape salad, our favorite Southern macaroni salad recipe, and Aunt Bee’s shrimp pasta salad, too!
When my friend Jackie shared her favorite potluck recipe with me a few months ago, she also mentioned that her sister brings this cold pasta salad with Italian dressing to just about every family gathering. Folks look forward to Jackie’s beans and Teresa’s salad, so they’ve become regular components at almost every family meal.
Why This is the Best Pasta Salad Recipe Ever
- Easy. If you can boil pasta, you can make this dish! There’s really no other “cooking” involved. Just stir everything together and your job is done.
- Affordable. These simple ingredients are easy to find in just about any grocery store. You can also adjust the vegetables to take advantage of whatever you have on hand. Since it’s a meatless option, it’s particularly budget-friendly for such a large, satisfying dish.
- Versatile. Offer the cold pasta salad as a vegetarian entree, or serve it alongside almost any of your favorite entrees. It’s great with chicken, seafood, pork, and beef! You can also play around with the ingredients to suit your taste. For instance, try different vegetables, grab another brand of store-bought dressing, or make your own Italian dressing to use here.
- Light and Fresh. Unlike mayo-laden pasta salads, this dish takes advantage of a vinaigrette-based dressing for a lighter taste and texture. Since it doesn’t include any cheese, olives, or meat, it’s also lower in fat and calories than other classic pasta salad recipes.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the classic pasta salad ingredients that you’ll need for this recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Pasta: I use rotini pasta, but any short shape will work fine.
- Red onion: for zesty, savory flavor. For a more mild onion taste, try sweet onion, sliced green onions, or even chopped fresh chives.
- Green bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper: we like to use a variety of colors for a prettier, healthy rainbow in our salad, but any color sweet bell peppers are great. These add great crunch to the salad.
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes: for a sweet burst of juicy flavor.
- Cucumber: I like English cucumbers which don’t contain big seeds and don’t need to be peeled.
- Wishbone Italian salad dressing: this classic dressing is the perfect way to bring together the pasta salad. We love this particular brand because it has a lot of rich, bold flavor, but it also has a hint of sweetness that pairs nicely with the savory vegetables.
Instructions
It doesn’t get much easier than this classic pasta salad! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Boil the pasta.
- Toss together the pasta with the vegetables and half of the dressing.
- Cover and chill for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
- Stir, add extra dressing to taste, and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Pair this classic pasta salad recipe with almost any of your favorite entrees. It’s even great on its own as a vegetarian main course! Here are some other ideas to serve with the dish:
- Chicken (like Fried Chicken, Grilled BBQ Chicken, Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs, Cider Dijon Roasted Chicken, Pecan-Crusted Chicken, Rosemary Oven Roasted Chicken, Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables, and Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Herbs)
- Pork (like Dutch Oven Pork Roast with Gravy, Pork Sirloin Roast, Pineapple Glazed Ham, Bourbon-Glazed Ham, Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze, Garlic and Rosemary Baked Pork Tenderloin, Coca-Cola Pork Chops, Oven Roasted Pork Loin with Applesauce Glaze, and Cajun Pork Chops)
- Turkey (like Smoked Turkey Breast, Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast, Crock Pot Turkey Tenderloin, and Slow Cooker Turkey Breast)
- Beef (try Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Grilled New York Strip Steak, Dutch Oven Pot Roast, London Broil, Southern Meatloaf, Grilled Hamburgers, Cast Iron Skillet Burgers, and Cast Iron Skillet Filet Mignon)
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make the salad at least 3-4 hours in advance of when you serve it, so that it has enough time to “marinate” and the flavors come together. Overnight is fine, too!
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days; however, the veggies tend to get soft and release extra liquid after the first day or so.
- I do not recommend freezing this pasta salad, as the vegetables and noodles will have a mushy, undesirable texture when thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the five mistakes to avoid when making pasta salad? Keep these five tips in mind for the best pasta salad recipe ever: (1) use a short pasta shape that the dressing can cling to; (2) salt the pasta cooking water; (3) include a variety of textures, such as tender pasta and crisp raw veggies; (4) add the dressing gradually so that you end up with the perfect consistency; and (5) taste and season the salad with salt and pepper again just before serving.
- What veggies go in an Italian pasta salad? Almost anything works! If you have other veggies that you prefer, swap them into the mix. Good options include bite-size broccoli florets, diced zucchini, diced carrots, thawed frozen peas, chopped celery, and corn kernels.
- Can I make it the day before? Yes! A classic pasta salad is best when it has time to sit and “marinate” in the dressing. At least 3-4 hours is ideal, and overnight is fine! After about 24 hours, however, the texture of the vegetables will not be as good.
Recipe Variations
- Just about any short pasta shape will work. I’ve shown rotini here, but you can try tricolor rotini, farfalle, mini wheels, penne, elbows, ditalini, fusilli, or medium shells, too.
- For an easy ranch pasta salad, try swapping out the Italian salad dressing and replacing it with an equal amount of Ranch salad dressing instead.
- Turn this salad into an even more satisfying main dish by adding your favorite protein! Grilled chicken would be great, as well as cooked shrimp, canned chicken, tuna, crispy bacon, and chopped pepperoni.
- Sliced black olives, chopped dill pickles, sweet pickles, or sweet pickle relish, cubed cheddar cheese, and hardboiled eggs are also classic additions to a cold pasta salad. Toss them into this dish, if you like.
- Cheese is always a good option, too. Try cubed cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, crumbled feta cheese, cubed Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella balls, or diced Swiss cheese.
- Add fresh herbs for even more fresh flavor. Try chopped fresh parsley, dill, thyme, basil, or oregano when available.
- Make it spicy by adding some crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Expert Tips
- This is an easy pasta salad for a crowd, because it yields about 14 cups. If you’re cooking for a smaller group, I recommend cutting all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Follow the package directions, but don’t let the noodles become gummy and mushy. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and to remove any extra starches that will cause the noodles to stick together.
- Teresa always uses Wishbone Italian dressing, and I agree that it just has that classic taste that everyone loves. Of course, if you prefer a different brand of store-bought Italian dressing or homemade pasta salad dressing, that will work as well!
- Don’t add all of the dressing right away. Use about half of the bottle to start, and then add more just before serving if desired. The pasta will absorb some of the dressing as the salad sits, and it’s always easier to add more than to take some out. You don’t want a wet, soggy salad with too much dressing!
More Classic Pasta Salad Recipes
Ham Pasta Salad
50 minutes mins
Chicken Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Pepperoni
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Tuna Pasta Salad
50 minutes mins
Classic Pasta Salad
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total: 20 minutes
A favorite at summer picnics for decades, this classic pasta salad is easy to assemble with just noodles, veggies, and Italian dressing!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. uncooked rotini pasta (or other short pasta shape of choice, such as elbows, medium shells, or penne)
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 (10.5 ounce) container of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English (seedless) cucumber, chopped
- 1 (24 ounce) bottle Wishbone Italian salad dressing
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- In a large bowl, use tongs or a wooden spoon to combine the cooled pasta and the vegetables. Add half of the salad dressing (about 12 ounces); toss to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight. Just before serving, give the salad a good stir and add more Italian dressing, as desired.
Notes
- This is an easy pasta salad for a crowd, because it yields about 14 cups. If you’re cooking for a smaller group, I recommend cutting all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Follow the package directions, but don’t let the noodles become gummy and mushy. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and to remove any extra starches that will cause the noodles to stick together.
- Teresa always uses Wishbone Italian dressing, and I agree that it just has that classic taste that everyone loves. Of course, if you prefer a different brand of store-bought Italian dressing or homemade pasta salad dressing, that will work as well!
- Don’t add all of the dressing right away. Use about half of the bottle to start, and then add more just before serving if desired. The pasta will absorb some of the dressing as the salad sits, and it’s always easier to add more than to take some out. You don’t want a wet, soggy salad with too much dressing!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 202.6kcalCarbohydrates: 30.7gProtein: 4.6gFat: 7.7gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 420.4mgPotassium: 31mgFiber: 4.3gSugar: 4.6g
This recipe was originally published in May, 2019. The photos were updated in April, 2024.
The pasta salad is a great meal on a hot day!
It’s refreshing, tasty, & and won’t bloat your belly!
Thank you, Judy! I totally agree! 🙂
Your pasta salad recipe looks good-BUT, I put those small little mozzarella cheese balls in to give you a little protein & a delicious add in. YUM!
Thanks, Judy! Yes — cheese is always a good addition. I love those mozzarella balls in my creamy pasta salad recipe!
Very appetizing I
Thank you, Arlene!