Easy Italian Pasta Salad is a classic pot-luck or BBQ side dish! Tri-Colored pasta, classic Italian Dressing and absolutely packed full of all the add-ins, this Pasta Salad is sure to be a hit!
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Even though the name says ‘Italian’ in it, this is very much an American dish! This is a classic pot-luck and BBQ side dish. Confession, I even make it in the winter months and pair it with Burgers made in the oven!
If you know how to boil water and dice veggies, you’ve got this one in the bag! I’ll even show you how to cook the pasta to perfection in the Instant Pot, too! Buh-bye babysitting a pot of boiling water!
Can I make Italian Pasta Salad ahead of time?
The answer to this very common question is, YES! This is a great salad to make ahead of time. Make sure to note, however, that the pasta will soak up the dressing the longer it sits, so keep a little extra dressing on hand to add to the salad right before serving.
Another common question is ‘can I freeze Italian Pasta Salad’. To this question I say, negatory, nada and nope. The pasta will become super mushy if frozen.
How to boil pasta in the Instant Pot for the Italian Pasta Salad
I love utilizing my Instant Pot any way I can. Boiling pasta is one of those things that I do quite often in there! Most of the time, the sauce is cooking right along with the pasta (ahem, Alfredo & Creamy Ziti).
My kids request ‘butter noodles’ at least once per week (are my kids the only ones who love this??) and I use my Instant Pot for this every single time. I am so glad that I don’t have to mess with a pot of boiling water on the stove anymore!
A good rule of thumb for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot: Cover the pasta with water, cook for half the time recommended on the box, minus 1 minute and then NPR for the same amount of time.
For the tri-colored rotini used here, cover with water and then cook for 3 min HP, with a 3 min NPR. (NPR means natural pressure release, so don’t turn the knob to release the pressure until 3 minutes after the cook time is over.
Please Note: When cooking with pasta’s under pressure, it is very important to stay by the pot after the knob has been turned to release the pressure. Because pasta is a starchy food, it creates bubbles and foam.
While cooking pasta it has the tendency to have hot water come out of the vent along with the steam. Just stay close and if it starts to bubble, just close the vent for an additional 30 seconds to a minute and then try again.
What Italian Dressing for Italian Pasta Salad
This is in no way sponsored, but my favorite brand to use is Wish-Bone. I feel like it is still reasonably priced, but is high quality and has great flavor. You can use whichever brand you’d like or make your own, if you prefer!
What goes in Italian Pasta Salad
- tri-colored rotini pasta
- pepperoni
- red onion
- sliced olives
- bell pepper
- grape tomatoes
- mozzarella cheese
- cucumbers
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Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz tri-colored rotini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- water for boiling
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cucumber diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 5 oz grape tomatoes halved
- 3.8 oz can sliced olives
- 3 string cheese sliced
- 1/2 cup mini pepperoni's
- 1 cup favorite Italian dressing
Instructions
- Boil the rotini with the salt in the water according to the package until al dente. If using the Instant Pot, cover the pasta with water, season with salt and then cook on Manual HIGH for 3 min and then a 3 min NPR before doing a controlled quick release.
- While the pasta is boiling, wash and dice all of the vegetables.
- After the pasta is finished, rinse under cold tap water until the pasta is cold.
- In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, toppings and dressing.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve. If refrigerating overnight, you may need to add a little extra dressing right before serving.
Nutrition
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Easy Italian Pasta Salad is a classic pot-luck or BBQ side dish! Tri-Colored pasta, classic Italian Dressing and absolutely packed full of all the add-ins, this Pasta Salad is sure to be a hit!
Ingredients
- 12 oz tri-colored rotini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- water for boiling
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cucumber diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 5 oz grape tomatoes halved
- 8 oz can sliced olives
- 3 string cheese sliced
- 1/2 cup mini pepperoni’s
- 1 cup favorite Italian dressing
Instructions
- Boil the rotini with the salt in the water according to the package until al dente. If using the Instant Pot, cover the pasta with water, season with salt and then cook on Manual HIGH for 3 min and then a 3 min NPR before doing a controlled quick release.
- While the pasta is boiling, wash and dice all of the vegetables.
- After the pasta is finished, rinse under cold tap water until the pasta is cold.
- In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, toppings and dressing.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve. If refrigerating overnight, you may need to add a little extra dressing right before serving.
katie Thornley says
The string cheese hack is a game changer!!!!! Love this!!!