Classic Pasta Salad

5 from 2 votes

A favorite at summer picnics for decades, this classic pasta salad is easy to assemble with just noodles, veggies, and Italian dressing!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword best pasta salad recipe ever, classic pasta salad, easy pasta salad, pasta salad recipe, vegetarian pasta salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Chilling Time 3

Total Time 20

Servings cups

Calories 202.6kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

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

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.

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!