Oil and vinegar pasta salad with tri-color rotini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion tossed in a tangy-sweet dressing made from olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, garlic, basil, and oregano. Serve it cold. It gets better after an hour in the fridge.
This is the pasta salad I bring to cookouts when I am tired of the same mayo-based macaroni salad. No mayo. No sour cream. Just oil, vinegar, and sugar doing the work.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The sugar is not optional. White vinegar is sharp. Without sugar the dressing tastes harsh. A quarter cup of granulated sugar balances the acid so the dressing hits tangy instead of sour.
- Tri-color rotini looks better than plain. The green and orange spirals hold the dressing in their ridges and the salad looks like a cookout side instead of a plain bowl of beige pasta.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water after draining. Hot pasta absorbs dressing and turns soft. Cold-rinsed pasta stays firm and the dressing coats the outside where it belongs.
- Seedless cucumbers keep the salad from getting watery. The seeds release water as the salad sits and thin the dressing.
- Plum tomatoes hold up better than slicing tomatoes. They are meatier with less juice and fewer seeds. Dice them small.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. The dressing soaks into the pasta, the garlic and herbs wake up, and the flavors come together. Day two is even better.
How to Make Oil and Vinegar Pasta Salad
- Cook the rotini according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch.
- Make the dressing while the pasta cooks. Whisk together the olive oil, white vinegar, granulated sugar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled rotini, chopped cucumber, chopped plum tomatoes, and diced red onion. Pour the dressing over the top and toss until everything is coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Toss again before serving. Serve with grated Parmesan on top if you want.
Quick Tips
- Rinse the pasta with cold water. Hot pasta soaks up too much dressing.
- Whisk the dressing until the sugar dissolves. Gritty dressing means undissolved sugar.
- Seedless cucumbers. Watery cucumbers thin the dressing.
- Refrigerate at least one hour. The flavor is flat right after mixing.
- Toss again before serving. The dressing settles at the bottom.
- A vegetable chopper speeds up the cucumber and tomato prep. Everything diced in under a minute.
Make Ahead and Storage
Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. The flavor gets better on day two. Toss before serving to redistribute the dressing. Add a small splash of olive oil and vinegar to freshen it up if the pasta has absorbed most of the dressing.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
For another cookout side, try my easy Grinder Pasta Salad with pepperoni, salami, and mozzarella. My Amish Macaroni Salad is a sweet and creamy classic that comes together fast.
📖 Recipe
Oil and Vinegar Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounce box tri-color rotini
- 2 cups seedless cucumbers - peeled and chopped
- 1 cup plum tomatoes - chopped
- ½ red onion - chopped
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions.
- Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white vinegar, granulated sugar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and salt to make the dressing.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cooked and cooled rotini pasta together with the dressing, and then add in the diced red onion, chopped cucumber, and chopped plum tomatoes.
- Toss the ingredients well to combine.
- Cover the pasta salad and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. This will allow the flavors to come together and be more flavorful.
- Serve with grated Parmesan if desired.
Notes
- Rinse the pasta with cold water after draining. Hot pasta absorbs too much dressing. Whisk the dressing until the sugar dissolves completely. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Toss again before serving as dressing settles.
- Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
