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Easy Italian Pasta Salad

This recipe for Easy Italian Pasta Salad is not only simple but quick to make.  I use veggie spirals in this recipe which gives the dish a boost of nutrition and makes it even more vibrant with color! 

This salad is a tasty and colorful addition to any potlucks or party. 

The colors are vibrant, therefore, this dish would look great added to any Summer spread.

Mix and Match this Easy Italian Pasta Salad

I love pepperonis as an addition to this pasta salad.  You can also use salami or even ham. 

The addition of mini sweet peppers and red onion gives each bite a burst of sweetness but of course, you could use bell peppers in their place. 

The cheddar cheese adds a wonderfully smooth texture to the dish and gives it yet another burst of color. However, you can use any cheese you prefer. 🙂

Easy Italian Pasta Salad made with tricolor rotini pasta.

Make-Ahead Pasta Salad

I would say the minimum time to refrigerate this before serving would be 2 hours. 

If you have time to make it ahead, I personally would aim to let it chill overnight. 

By letting it chill overnight in the refrigerator it gives Italian dressing a chance to mingle and soak into the pasta and veggies.

Easy Italian Pasta Salad made with tricolor rotini pasta.

Easy Potluck Recipe

This Easy Italian Pasta Salad is incredibly easy to double or even triple if you're making it for a large crowd. 

The prep work is super easy - cook your noodles, dice your veggies and cheese, and add in your dressings and oil. 

So simple!  It's a great go-to recipe when you don't have a lot of time to prepare a dish!

Ingredients in Italian Pasta Salad

  • Veggie Spiral Pasta
  • Italian dressing
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Pepperoni
  • Red onion
  • Sweet mini peppers, red, orange, and yellow
  • Olive oil

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad

Prepare the pasta- Boil pasta according to the package. Drain the pasta and add ¼ cup of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking together and drying out.

Chop the veggies- After the veggies cool, add peppers, cheese, pepperoni, and onion.

Stir in the dressing- Mix in Italian salad dressing.

Chill the Italian Pasta Salad- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This allows the flavors to marry and it will make the pasta salad more flavorful overall.

Easy Italian Pasta Salad with chopped peppers and pepperonis with an Italian dressing.

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📖 Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Easy Italian Pasta Salad mini peppers bowl fork spoon potluck

This salad is a tasty and colorful addition to any potlucks or party.  The colors are vibrant, therefore, this dish would look great added to any Summer spread. This yummy pasta salad is great for packed lunches, too.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 package Veggie Spiral Pasta, 12 oz.
  • 1 ½ cups Italian salad dressing
  • ¼ cup cheddar cheese, diced
  • ½ cup pepperoni, diced
  • ½ red onion, diced
  • ¼ cup sweet mini peppers, red, orange, and yellow, diced
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta according to package.
  2. Drain pasta and add ¼ cup of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking together and drying out.
  3. After it cools, add peppers, cheese, pepperoni, and onion.
  4. Mix in Italian salad dressing.
  5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Let it chill in refrigerator overnight for ultimate flavor.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 grams

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 612mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 5g

Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.

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Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Edyta at Eating European

Monday 30th of July 2018

Beautiful colors. Such a nice and easy idea for summer pasta salad.

Kristine

Monday 30th of July 2018

Pasta salads are one of my favorite summer sides! This one looks so fresh and flavorful! I can’t wait to try out the recipe, thanks!

Lisa Huff

Monday 30th of July 2018

LOVE pasta salads this time of year! Love that this has pepperoni, a favorite of my kids!

Danielle

Monday 30th of July 2018

You can’t beat a classic pasta salad. There are so many things that you can do with it.

Tina Dawson

Monday 30th of July 2018

Nothing more easier than a pasta salad to tailgate with! This sounds right up my alley!

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