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Easy pasta salad
This Easy Pasta Salad Recipe is my go to Summer dish. It’s perfect for pot lucks and BBQ’s and easily serves a crowd.
Veggies are plentiful during the summer making this a budget friendly side dish. This dish is just bursting with flavor. You are going to love it!
You might also like this quick and easy cucumber tomato salad recipe for another easy and tasty recipe to try.
There is nothing like fresh veggies in the Summer. I love using them for this simple pasta salad recipe. It’s so forgiving and you can use what you have and omit what you don’t.
This is so simple and truly the best pasta salad recipe. We love serving this with grilled chicken. Yum!
Let’s get started!
Ingredients:
- Rotini Pasta
- Italian Dressing
- Cucumber, sliced and quartered
- Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- Pepperoni, cut in halves
- Red Onion, diced
- Parmesan Cheese
How to make easy pasta salad:
First, heat a large stockpot of water to a boiling and cook pasta according to package directions. I prefer to cook this al dente.
Feel free to use any type of pasta you have in the pantry or can get on sale. Other ideas include bowtie, penne, elbow and more.
When pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water until pasta is cool.
Second, mix cucumbers, tomatoes, pepperoni and red onion together in a large bowl with pasta. Pour in dressing and mix well. You can use homemade dressing or store bought.
We have a delicious and easy recipe for Italian dressing mix.
Sometimes, I add a little olive oil. We love the Parmesan cheese but sometimes use mozzarella cheese or feta.
Just use what you have. It’s all delicious. Try adding olives to the salad. The ideas are endless for this easy pasta salad.
Finally, refrigerate the pasta salad. It is best if you can do this at least for an hour or overnight until ready to serve. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
How long can you store pasta salad
I like to keep it in a glass Rubbermaid storage container. Stored properly, it should last up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
Tips for easy italian pasta salad:
This recipe like many calls for diced onions. Another time saving tip is to use a small food chopper or food processor to quickly and easily chop the onions.
If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend them. They are such a time saver and you can get the veggies really fine if you have children that are picky.
I usually just chop the entire vegetable and freeze what I don’t need. It’s so nice to be able to just take the diced onion out of the freezer for recipes.
This is how I meal prep. It’s so quick and easy and helps get dinner on the table fast.
Sometimes, I also toss in a handful of bell peppers in the pasta salad. Yum!
Learn and how to freeze onions and also how to freeze peppers to save so much time in the kitchen!
Try this Easy Pasta Salad Recipe today!
This recipe is amazing and truly is the most simple pasta salad recipe ever! It comes together quickly and is budget friendly. If you need a dish to feed a crowd, this recipe will not disappoint!
It is so versatile and really budget friendly. You can feed a big crowd and not spend a ton of time or money.
Feel free to substitute the ingredients for what you have on hand or like the most. It is a great recipe to use up veggies in the fridge.
I also love to use what is on sale at the grocery store. This definitely helps the grocery budget.
You can use any type of pasta that you have. It does not have to be rotini. Bow tie, penne and elbow work too. Give this a try!
We also love Greek pasta salad for another yummy side dish idea. I also make these cucumber bites to get the kids to eat veggies.
We also love Easy Vegetarian Lasagna. Even my meat loving kids, enjoy it!
Print this easy pasta salad recipe below:
Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- (1) 16 oz. Rotini Pasta
- 1 cup Italian Salad Dressing
- 1 Cucumber (peeled, sliced and quartered)
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
- 1/2 cup Pepperoni (cut in half)
- 1/4 cup Red Onion (diced)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al la dente based on the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta immediately and then rinse with cold water until pasta is cooled off.
- Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, pepperoni and red onion together in a large bowl. Pour in dressing and mix well until all the ingredients are combined. Then stir in the pasta.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight until ready to serve.
- Serve topped with the shredded Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
You might also like Italian Pasta Salad Recipe. It’s so easy to fix and budget friendly. The pasta salad is loaded with yummy veggies, pasta, Italian dressing and more!
BLT Pasta Salad is always a crowd pleaser and everyone loves the creamy ranch dressing.
More pasta salad recipes:
- Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
- Classic Italian Pasta Salad
- Easy Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Check out 21 Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipes for more ideas.
Try these other Summer Salad Recipes:
I make a pasta salad very much like this one. I use kielbasa sausage in mine – diced and heated thru before adding – and chopped broccoli florets. It comes out a little different every time I make it. We use it as a main dish in the summer. Everyone in my family likes it.
I tried this for Memorial Day. It was a big hit