My Tri Color Rotini Salad gets its bright, zesty flavor from a homemade Italian dressing made right in the bowl. Crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella turn a simple pasta salad into a colorful summer side. The whole thing comes together in just 20 minutes of active time.
If you love pasta salads for summer picnics, you need to make this salad or try one of these two favorites are my Spaghetti Pasta Salad and my grandmothers Tuna Pasta Salad.
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Why this Rotini Pasta Salad Recipe is a Keeper
This great pasta salad checks every box for an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish. Especially with this zesty italian dressing.
ONLY USE 2-4 OF THE MOST APPLICABLE FEATURES.
- 20-Minute Side: This irresistible pasta salad comes together in just 20 minutes of active prep.
- Easy Ingredients: Everything for this favorite pasta salad is easy to find at any grocery store.
- Family Friendly: This best pasta salad recipe is a genuine crowd favorite at any gathering.
- Makes Great Leftovers: Make a big batch to have a side ready to go all week.
- Serve My Salad with: BBQ Chicken Sliders, Grilled Turkey Burgers with Pickled Onions and my Mexican Street Corn Casserole.
How Do I Keep This Italian Pasta Salad from Drying Out?
Adding enough dressing really matters here, along with storing the salad in an airtight container. The pasta naturally absorbs some of the dressing as it sits.
If your pasta salad looks dry from soaking up the dressing after a day or two in the fridge, simply toss salad with more dressing. Adding more dressing brings it right back to life.
What Reader’s Are Saying…
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“My mom used to make a similar pasta growing up, this dish reminded me of it. It was so good!”
~ Shelby
Ingredient Notes to Make Pasta Salad
A couple of ingredients in this tri color rotini pasta salad recipe are worth a closer look.
This is an overview of key ingredients. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Tri Color Rotini: The tri-colored rotini pasta add visual interest without changing the flavor at all.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Use a mix of colors if you can find them, for an even more vibrant salad.
Variations and Substitutions for this Easy Recipe
This rotini salad is easy to customize based on what you have on hand. Use a creamy italian dressing, greek dressing, or ranch dressing to make this salad.
➡️ Add More Veggies: Red and green bell peppers, red onion, artichoke hearts, extra grape tomatoes, black olives or kalamata olives all work well here.
➡️Cheese: Use a creamy feta cheese for my easy pasta salad.
➡️ Use Protein Pasta: Swap in a protein pasta for an extra nutritional boost.
➡️ Add Some Heat: Stir in chopped spicy peppers and swap in pepper jack cheese for a kick. Salad Supreme or extra italian seasoning can add more flavor too.
➡️ Add a Protein to this Great Salad : Grilled chicken or crumbled bacon turns this side dish into a meal.
Kitchen Tools To Make My Italian Rotini Pasta Salad
A few basics make this pasta salad easy to put together.
- Pasta Pot: Gives you plenty of room to cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water. Shop Pasta Pot
- Measuring Spoons and Cups: Helpful for measuring out the dressing ingredients precisely. Shop Measuring Spoons
- Salad Bowl: A large bowl gives you plenty of room to toss everything together evenly.
How to Make the Best Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
Here’s a quick overview before you jump into the full recipe card below for my easy pasta salad recipe with homemade dressing.
These are just highlights. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Make the Dressing. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, seasonings, and garlic, then stir in the onion.
- Cook the Rotini Pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions. Boil the pasta in well-salted water while you prep the vegetables.
- Cool the Pasta Quickly. Drain the pasta water, then chill it fast in cold water or an ice bath.
- Combine Everything. Toss the cooled pasta, vegetables, cheese, and delicious homemade italian dressing together.
- Chill and Serve. Refrigerate the italian rotini pasta salad recipe before serving cold.
Prep Ahead for Homemade Italian Dressing and Pasta Salad
This summer pasta salad is genuinely great to prep a little ahead of time.
➡️ Make the Italian Salad Dressing Early: Whisk it up to a day ahead and keep it chilled until you’re ready to toss the salad.
➡️ Chop Vegetables in Advance: Dice the onion and cucumber and halve the tomatoes a few hours ahead of time.
➡️ Cook Rotini Pasta Noodles: Cook pasta al dente. Drain the pasta a touch early and let it finish softening in the dressing as it chills.
Can I Use a Different Type of Pasta in Place of Using Rotini?
Sure, this delicious pasta recipe works well with all kinds of pasta shapes. Shells, bowties, or a gluten-free pasta all work just as well as rotini.
Pick whatever shape you have on hand or whatever your family prefers. The dressing and mix-ins stay exactly the same either way.
How to Store and Use Leftover Salad Side Dish
- Storing: Store this pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Using Leftovers: Stir in a splash of extra dressing to refresh the salad after a day or two in the fridge. Add grilled chicken, tuna or salmon to the salad to make a meal.
Expert Tips for Making Rotini Pasta Salad Recipe
➡️ Salt the Pasta Water Well: Cook pasta according to box directions. I always use heavily salted water, since it’s one of the only chances to season the pasta itself.
➡️ Ice Bath Is Worth It: I never skip the ice bath, since it stops the pasta from overcooking and cools it fast for the salad.
➡️ Taste Before Serving: I always taste the salad right before serving and add a splash more dressing if it needs it.
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Tri Color Rotini Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
Homemade Italian Dressing
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Granulated sugar
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground
Pasta Salad
- ¼ Red onion, medium, finely chopped
- 8 ounces Tri color rotini pasta
- 8 ounces Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English cucumber, small, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 4 ounces Fresh mozzarella, drained and chopped
- Fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl to make the dressing.
- Stir the chopped red onion into the dressing.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Prepare the cherry tomatoes and cucumber while the pasta cooks.
- Drain the pasta. Dunk the strainer of pasta into an ice bath of equal parts ice and water to cool it quickly.
- Combine the cooled pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, and mozzarella in a large salad bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Christina’s Notes
- Don’t Rinse the Pasta: Rinsing washes away the starch that helps the dressing cling to each piece.
- Cool the Pasta Fast: An ice bath stops the cooking process immediately, so the pasta doesn’t turn mushy.
- Let It Chill Fully: The full 30 minutes in the fridge lets the flavors meld together before serving.
- Add Cheese Right Before Serving: Stirring in the mozzarella at the last minute keeps it from breaking down in the dressing.
- Storage Tip: Refresh the salad with a splash of extra dressing if it dries out after a few days in the fridge.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
My mom used to make a similar pasta growing up, this dish reminded me of it. It was so good!
One of my all-time favorite salads! I love the light and zingy dressing as a complement to the pasta and veggies. I could eat this for lunch every day.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing color pasta salad recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!