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Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

Pasta salad with Italian dressing that’s tossed with zesty bottled dressing for a glossy, al dente bite. Tri-color rotini plus bell peppers, olives, cherry tomatoes, and provolone make a quick, colorful potluck-ready side dish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

tri-color rotini pasta
  • 1 lb tri-color rotini pasta
zesty Italian dressing
  • 1 can (16 oz) zesty Italian dressing
red bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
green bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
black olives
  • 1 cup black olives, sliced
red onion
  • 0.5 red onion, diced
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
provolone
  • 4 oz provolone, cubed
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley
  • 1 fresh parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook tri-color rotini pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse cold. Spread the drained pasta on a sheet pan and cool completely.
Build the salad
  1. Combine the cooled pasta with diced red bell pepper, diced green bell pepper, sliced black olives, diced red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, and cubed provolone.
  2. Pour zesty Italian dressing over the pasta and add Italian seasoning. Toss well until the tri-color rotini looks evenly coated.
Chill and season
  1. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, then toss the salad again. Add more Italian dressing before serving as the pasta absorbs it.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the pasta cold and cool it completely so the vegetables stay crisp and the dressing clings instead of turning watery. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; give it a quick toss and add a splash more dressing right before serving. Freeze not recommended due to vegetable texture changes. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat provolone and a low-sugar bottled Italian dressing while keeping the same generous dressing-to-pasta ratio.