You will love this easy Italian pasta salad recipe. It's made with short pasta, fresh vegetables, mozzarella, herbs, and the best homemade Italian dressing. It's simple, quick, and makes a good side or main dish. Learn how to make pasta salad in simple steps.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time8 minutesmins
Total Time18 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: easy italian pasta salad, Italian pasta salad, Italian pasta salad recipe, pasta salad, pasta salad recipe
1cupPasta (uncooked) or 3 cups cookedrotini, fusili, rigatoni, penne or any short pasta your choice.
1cupTomatoes
1smallRed Onion
½cupBlack Olives
¼cupMozarella balls
1.5tablespoonParmesan cheesefinely grated
2tablespoonParsleyfinely chopped
Italian dressingto taste
OPTIONAL
Salami
Pepperoncini
Cucumber
Pepperoni
Mayonaise
Chicken
Instructions
Boil the pastaCheck out my instant pot pasta recipe to cook the pasta but you can also cook it on the stove. Here's how to boil pasta on the stove - Add water in a pot and leave to boil then add in pasta, a tablespoon of oil and salt and leave to cook for 8 minutes or according to package direction till al dente. Take off the stove, drain in a colander, and run under cold water to shock the pasta. Leave to cool while you move on to the next step.
Make the salad dressingIf you haven't already, quickly make pasta salad dressing. This takes just 5 minutes to make. Here's the recipe for my homemade Italian dressing.
Cut up the veggiesCut the tomatoes, chop the onions and parsley, and any other vegetables you want in your homemade salad.
Build the saladAdd pasta into a bowl and add some of the salad dressing then mix. Next add in the tomatoes, onions, olives, and all other ingredients. Add more Italian salad dressing and mix to combine with the salad.Want creamy Italian pasta salad? Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise.
Chill in the fridge for cold pasta saladPut the salad in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before serving as it tastes better when cold. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Cut the vegetables to roughly the same size.
You can use any short pasta. Rotini, penne, fusilli, or any of your favorite.
Don't overcook the pasta and allow it to cool before adding in the other ingredients.
You can make this pasta salad ahead and store it in the fridge. It tastes better the next day.
If you store in the fridge, taste before serving, and if need be add more dressing, pepper, or salt.