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This Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is a classic from my childhood that's perfect for potlucks, backyard BBQs, pool days, and more. Featuring rotini, crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, bell peppers, and zesty Italian dressing, this pasta salad may sound simple, but one key ingredient makes it unforgettable: salad supreme seasoning. This easy blend of spices adds earthy, nutty, fresh flavor that takes a good pasta salad completely over the top.
At every family summer gathering, this easy pasta salad shows up right alongside my Papa's Old-Fashioned Baked Beans, my Mom's Sour Cream Cucumber Salad, and my Great Aunt's Homemade Brownies. It's our go-to summer cookout menu.
Italian Pasta Salad at a Glance
- Serves: 10-12 and easily doubles for parties
- Time Involved: 20 minutes hands-on prep + 1 hour chill
- Customizable: Option to make dressing & spice blend from scratch or use store-bought shortcuts; vary the veggies as desired
- Serving Suggestions: Make-ahead side dish ideal for BBQs, picnics, potlucks, and summer dinners
Recipe Highlights
Kristen's Keys for Italian Dressing Pasta Salad
A few small details make the difference between an okay pasta salad and one people will insist you bring to every gathering from here on out.
- Do not rinse the pasta. The starch helps the dressing cling to the noodles instead of sliding sadly to the bottom of the bowl.
- Dress twice. Adding a bit of the dressing to the pasta while it's warm will help to flavor the pasta. Adding additional dressing AFTER the noodles have cooled, will help ensure your pasta salad is not dried out. I use this same method when making my Caprese Pasta Salad and Antipasto Pasta Salad because it makes a huge difference in the overall results.
- Don't skip the Salad Supreme Seasoning blend. This is the ingredient that makes people go back for seconds, thirds, and fourths! It adds savory, herby, slightly nutty flavor that makes this Italian pasta salad taste anything but bland.
- Deseed watery vegetables if needed. Garden cucumbers and large tomatoes contain a lot of moisture that can dilute the dressing over time.
- Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. The flavors need time to mingle. Pasta salad fresh from the mixing bowl is fine. Pasta salad after chilling is the version people ask for the recipe to.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
- Pasta: Short pasta works best because the twists and ridges grab onto the dressing. Rotini, fusilli, or cavatappi are all great choices. Tri-color rotini works well here.
- Italian Dressing: Store-bought dressing works in a pinch, but homemade dressing gives the best flavor. To make my Zesty Italian Dressing you will need red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and a few dried spices.
- Vegetables: Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and red onion add crunch and freshness. If using regular cucumbers or large tomatoes, remove the seeds to keep the salad from getting watery.
- Olives: Black olives are traditional in my family recipe, but Kalamata olives add a briny flavor that pairs especially well with Italian dressing. Or you can omit them altogether.
- Salad Supreme Seasoning: The secret ingredient that makes this the very best pasta salad. While you can use the store-bought blend, my copycat salad supreme seasoning is super easy to make using dried spices you likely have on hand (and can be made dairy-free as well if needed).
How to Make Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
While you can start with bottled Italian dressing and store-bought salad supreme to speed up the process, if you prep the homemade Italian dressing and homemade salad supreme seasoning while the pasta cooks, everything comes together at once and the flavor will be noticeably better.
Step One: Cook Pasta
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Once boiling, stir the pasta into the water, and cook, stirring occasionally until the pasta is just al dente according to package directions.
Step Two: Make Italian Dressing
While the pasta is cooking, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and olive oil. Vigorously whisk or shake until the ingredients are well combined.
Step Three: Make Salad Supreme Seasoning
If you don't have prepared salad supreme on hand, make it quickly by whisking together sesame seeds, poppy seeds, celery seed, salt, pepper, cayenne and grated parmesan (optional) together.
Step Four: Lightly Dress Noodles
At this point, the pasta should be al dente. Rinse it well in a colander but do NOT rinse.
Instead add the warm pasta to a large bowl and toss with a bit of the prepared dressing. This first layer of dressing flavors the pasta itself instead of only coating the outside later.
Step Five: Cool Noodles
At this point you need the noodles to cool before adding the veggies and remaining dressing to prevent the veggies from losing their crisp texture. I recommend spreading the pasta out onto a rimmed baking sheet, which speeds up the cooling process. Plan on 15-20 minutes.
Step Six: Add the Remaining Ingredients
Once the pasta is cool (or just slightly warm to the touch), transfer it back to the large mixing bowl. Add in the cucumbers, peppers, onions, olive, tomatoes, salad supreme seasoning, and remaining dressing.
Toss everything together until evenly coated.
Step Seven: Chill Before Serving
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours) before serving.
Before serving, give the pasta salad a good toss. If the pasta absorbed a lot of dressing, add an extra splash of dressing or drizzle of olive oil to freshen it up.
Recipe Variations & Modifications
- Gluten-Free Option: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta. And if the package instructions state to rinse the noodles after cooking, do so! Gluten-free pasta often has excess starch that NEEDS rinsed away.
- Vary the Veggies. Feel free to add in chopped broccoli florets, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, artichoke hearts, or even raw diced (and seeded) summer squash.
- Add Cheese: Cubed mozzarella, mozzarella balls, parmesan cheese, or sharp cheddar cubes all work well with this Italian pasta salad.
- Add Protein: Turn this pasta salad into a meal by adding cubes of salami, diced rotisserie chicken, seasoned chicken bites, or sliced Italian sausage to the mix.
- Add Fresh Herbs: I find basil or dill can overwhelm this pasta salad, but minced parsley adds a fresh finish and pairs well with the flavors in the Italian dressing.
Storage Tips
This Italian Pasta Salad is an ideal make-ahead side dish as it tastes even better after chilling.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, keeping in mind the pasta salad is at it's best if enjoyed within 24 hours of preparation.
- Revive if Needed: The pasta will continue absorbing dressing as it chills, so stir in extra dressing (or a splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar) before serving if needed.
Serving Suggestions
This simple Italian dressing pasta salad pairs perfectly with:
- Classic Grilled Burgers
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breasts
- Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
- Crockpot Pulled Pork
And don't forget the homemade baked beans, creamy cucumber salad, and fudgy brownies -- my family's must-makes for ANY summer gathering.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Easy Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
Video
Ingredients
For Pasta Salad
- 12 ounces rotini pasta, or any corkscrew-shaped pasta
- kosher salt for cooking pasta
- ¾ cup Italian salad dressing, divided
- 1 cup chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded
- 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion, or sweet onion
- 2 tablespoons salad supreme seasoning, see notes for quantities
For Italian Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ~1 medium lemon
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the water. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, or until just al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander, but do NOT RINSE!
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the homemade Italian dressing by adding ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ cup extra virgin olive oil to a small jar or bowl and vigorously whisk or shake to combine and emulsify.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to a large bowl, add about ¼ cup of the salad dressing to the cooked pasta, and toss to coat.
- Spread the pasta out onto a sheet pan, and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before proceeding with assembling the pasta salad.
- Once the pasta has cooled, transfer it back to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining Italian dressing, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, red onions and salad supreme seasoning.
- Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- When ready to serve, toss the pasta salad together again. If needed, add a bit more dressing or a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Perfect salad. Nice to enjoy a salad without a mayonnaise base. I can see myself making a lot of this during our hot summers for picnics/potlucks.
Thrilled you enjoyed so much, Sami! It really is great for warmer weather and potlucks. I hope you enjoy many, many more times.
This is so good!! I even made the Italian Dressing recipe! So yummy! I only added some mozzarella and cheddar cheese! I did use the Salad Supreme Seasoning but I bought the McCormick's. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
You are so very welcome, Cindy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review--it is greatly appreciated.
Made a day ahead for lunch tomorrow, already delicious! Cooling the pasta on a sheet tray with 1/4 cup dressing was genius. I sampled the completed salad with just the 1/4 cup of the dressing & it was already amazing. I’ll add more dressing tomorrow as it will have absorbed but unlikely to need the whole amount. Added your salad supreme recipe without the (Parmesan cheese) so it’ll keep longer. It’s a game changer in this recipe. I used about 1T of the seasoning so far and added 1T grated Parmesan separately. Tossed in some broccoli as I only had 1 pepper and added about 4 oz cheddar cheese cubes.
YAY! I am so thrilled you are pleased with this recipe (and my tips!) I love the addition of broccoli and cheese as well.