American
Pasta Salad
Short pasta is cooked, cooled, and tossed with vegetables, cheese, and Italian dressing. It is a cold salad meant for the fridge, not a hot pasta dish.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Cooling the pasta before dressing keeps the cheese from melting into a slick.
- A short shape traps dressing better than long noodles.
- Vegetables and olives do the seasoning work with a simple dressing.
- It feeds a group from one box of pasta.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the rotini. Cook until the pasta is tender with a little bite, usually 8 to 10 minutes. Check a piece.
- 2
Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water until it is cool and no longer sticky. Drain well.
- 3
Move the pasta to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, bell pepper, onion, and cheese.
- 4
Pour on the Italian dressing, parsley, and pepper. Toss until everything is coated.
- 5
Taste and add a pinch of salt if the dressing was mild. The salad should taste bright, not bland.
- 6
Chill at least 30 minutes before serving so the pasta absorbs the dressing. Toss once more before it goes on the table.
Pro tips
- Rinsing is correct here because you want cold, separate pasta. Do not rinse pasta you plan to sauce hot.
- Cube the cheese small so it mixes instead of sinking to the bottom.
- If the salad looks dry after chilling, add another tablespoon of dressing, not a pool of it.
Easy substitutions
- Rotini
- Penne or farfalle.
- Italian dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, and 1 tsp dried oregano.
- Cheddar
- Cubed provolone or small mozzarella pearls.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days. Stir before serving.
Reheating
Serve cold. Do not heat this salad.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 324
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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