Pasta Salad
This easy pasta salad recipe comes packed with fresh veggies, cheddar cheese, and zesty Italian dressing. Serve it cold for cookouts, lunches, or quick dinners.
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 309kcal
Ingredients
Pasta
- 6 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 8 ounces rotini about 2 ½ cups pasta
- 1 cup firm small cherry tomatoes cut in half (peeled or unpeeled)
- 1 cup English cucumber chopped into 1-inch slices
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup sweet onion chopped
- 1½ cups pepper jack cheese cubed in to 1-inch pieces
- 4 ounces sliced salami or pepperoni optional
- 2 tablespoons spice blend or recipe below
- 8 ounces zesty Italian dressing 1 cup
- salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley optional garnish
Spice Blend (optional)
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Bring water to a rolling boil. When it comes to a boil, add the tablespoon of salt and the rotini.
- Cook the rotini according to the al dente directions on the box.
- Drain then rinse pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- In the meantime, cut the vegetables and cheese into bite-size pieces and put in a salad bowl.
- Add the pepperoni, optional.
- When the pasta is done and has been cooled, add it to the bowl.
- Make the spice blend if using. Shake or pour the spice blend over the contents of the bowl.
- Pour the zesty Italian dressing on top and stir everything together.
- Chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Notes
- To prevent pasta pieces from sticking together, use a good quality pasta and a big enough pot in which to cook it.
- If you don’t have instructions after the pasta has been cooked for about 6 to 7 minutes, taste a piece of pasta and see if it’s crunchy. If crunchy, keep boiling at 30-second intervals until it is firm but not crunchy.
- If you’re adding any optional meats, add them to the salad along with the veggies and cheese.
- Leaving the pasta salad in the fridge overnight gives the veggies a chance to soak up some of the extra dressing, and lets the flavors intensify.
Nutrition
Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 1875mg | Potassium: 313mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1320IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 2mg