Updated Published Jun 26, 2016 By Julia 45 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.
Summary:
This is a hearty pasta salad with diced sausages, cheese, bell peppers, olives, and tomatoes. It's served cold with a simple yet boldly flavored Italian dressing using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh herbs.
Pasta Salad
4.7 from 21 votesPRINT PIN
Prep: 30 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Yield: 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound tricolor rotini pasta
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 pound genoa salami, diced
- 1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, diced
- 6-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
- 1/2 pound asiago cheese, diced
Italian Dressing:
- 0.7-ounce package
italian dressing mix (Note 1) - 3/4 cup
olive oil - 1/2 cup
balsamic vinegar (Note 2) - 2 tablespoons fresh herbs like parsley and/or oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional, For Serving:
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved (Note 3)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook Pasta: Using large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta in
colander and rinse with cold water.Combine Ingredients: Add cooked pasta, diced bell peppers, salami, sausage, olives, and cheese to large mixing bowl. Toss until well-mixed. If making ahead of time, cover and refrigerate (Note 4).
Serve: Stir together all dressing ingredients in small bowl, and pour over pasta salad in large mixing bowl. Optionally, add halved grape tomatoes. Serve (Note 5).
NUTRITION
| Makes 12 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 390 (71% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 31g | 48% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 49% |
| Cholesterol 38mg | 13% |
| Sodium 700mg | 29% |
| Net Carb 16g | |
| Total Carb 17.5g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 6% |
| Sugars 4g | |
| Protein 11g |
Vitamin A 18% · Vitamin C 41% · Calcium 16% · Iron 11%
PHOTOS
NOTES & TIPS
(1) Italian Dressing Mix. This is not the kind of liquid salad dressing that comes in a bottle; it’s in dry powdered form, typically sold in packets.
(2) Balsamic Vinegar. I use black balsamic vinegar, which imparts a nice color to the pasta salad. If you don’t like strong balsamic flavors, add to taste instead of the listed amount.
(3) Grape Tomatoes. 2 cups is 1 pint, which corresponds to 10 ounces weight. You can also use cherry tomatoes. Sometimes I use multi-color varieties.
(4) Making Ahead. This pasta salad is great for parties and get-togethers because you can make it the night before. I recommend storing the dressing and tomatoes separate from the main pasta salad. I think it tastes best when the pasta salad is freshly tossed with dressing just prior to serving, but it’s possible you may prefer to let the pasta salad soak up the dressing overnight.
(5) Serving. Serve cold as a summertime pasta salad during grilling season, alongside foods like corn on the cob, grilled meats, fruit salad, or almond flour cornbread.
About Julia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes in a user-friendly format. She typically prefers savory foods over sweet, hence the name of the site. Contact her at julia@savorytooth.null.com.
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newest oldest most voted
Heather
This is one of my FAVORITE pasta salad recipes!! I was amazed at how much flavor it has! I may have had a forkful (or four!) after making it because it was so delicious! I love how easy to make it was. I also like how it didn’t dry out in the fridge like some mayo based pasta salads do. It is definitely in my regular repertoire! Thanks for posting this!
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3 years ago
Onie G
Awesome recipe! I added purple onion and 1 cucumber and it’s amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
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6 years ago
Katie
If you are a bland “crack chicken” loving type this might be too much flavor for you. Yes, it has a strong vinegar flavor and the basalmic adds a dark ting to the pasta as well. I thought it was delicious, adding to my recipe box.
Denise P.
Good lord.. THIS IS IT! My search is over! Dressing taste great when freshly poured on!
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6 years ago
Teresa Cole
When I made this, my husband said ” quit experimenting. This is the one!”
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6 years ago
Heidi
I made this for a barbecue with friends I hope they love it because it was easy and fresh
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5 years ago
Marie
I make this also but without the colored noodles & use lots of Salad Supreme & almost 16 oz bottle of Robust Italian dressing. It does taste better after marinating in the dressing. I use 1/2 bottle then refrigerate it for a few hrs or overnite, all the flavores soak into the noodles, then before ready to serve add more dressing to taste. Sooo good & a huge hit at parties & cookouts.
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7 years ago
Debbie Dunn
I made this for 2 baby showers and now my sister wants me to make it for a wedding shower. It is great. I made as the recipe directed.
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5 years ago
Yolanda
Just wondeing if anyone used an Italian dressing already made….like Olive Gardens Italian Dressing?
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5 years ago
Rosemary
Olive gardens dressing is delicious on this salad. I like provolone cheese because it stays firm.
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5 years ago
Marta
Yes, I’ve used that dressing on many pasta salads and it is delicious.
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5 years ago
Lisa
Insanely delicious thanks it was a huge hit at my works potluck
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5 years ago
Larita
Love, love, love this! So glad I made this recipe, used fresh oregano, no parsley, I did everything in recipe exactly like written, did not add tomatoes, didn’t need them!
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6 years ago
MaryAnn Coy
Make the Pasta & Vegetable part, no tomatoes, no Olives, cover tightly and refrigerate, refrigerate the olives. Personally I don’t do those grape tomatoes(Yuck!&Gross) I use cherry tomatoes, they always taste of Summer to me. Tomatoes should never be refrigerated. Stash in a dark, cool spot. I can’t do the Good Seasoning thing! Too much salt, too many Chemicals! I DIY with a Dry Mix I found on Pinterest (Labile Hypertension’s the bane of my existence). But my very favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette, Olive Oil & Balsamic, with Garlic & Itailian Herbs, is my home made go too. So make your dressing, if you are using Kalamata Olives, add them to the jar of dressing! Refrigerate over night! Just before serving strain those olives to go into the pasta part. Get you tomatoes out. Slice them in half, Toss your pasta, vegetables, and olives, then add that lovely melded dressing. I make a big recipe of dressing. That way I have extra. Now you have the best of both worlds Pasta & Vegetables that are al dente & crunchy, plus dressing that has melded perfectly. Don’t be afraid to add freshly grated Romano, Parmesan, Asiago, whatever suits. Bon Appetit.
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6 years ago
DDD
FABULOUS!!!
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5 years ago
Janae
This salad got better each day. Serving it the first day I only used 1/2 the dressing. The next day I added the rest and it was great! Next time I am going to try white balsamic vinegar and then you may actually see the tricolor pasta.
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6 years ago
Jenna
The recipe says package of Italian dressing. Does that mean the dry powder stuff or the stuff that comes in a bottle?
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6 years ago
Julia
Hi Jenna! It’s the dry powder stuff. This Amazon link has a product photo of what the package looks like: https://amzn.to/2jRUpwI
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6 years ago
Jenny Davis
I felt the dressing was too oily. Next time I will probably substitute 1/4 of the oil with water. Might back off a bit on the balsamic as well. This is a great go to summer side dish or potluck dish as it’s simple to make and easy to double.
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6 years ago
Vicki
I made this according to the recipe. We found the balsamic flavor to be overpowering and it also gave the salad an off-putting appearance. Unfortunately, my family ate only about 1/8 of the salad and I disposed of the rest. I do not recommend 🙁
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6 years ago
Rebecca
Can I used dried herbs?
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6 years ago
Julia
Yes, you can use dried herbs. You won’t need to use as much as the recipe says, if you’re using dried instead of fresh.
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6 years ago
Sara
I made this and tasted the dressing, haven’t poured it on. The dressing is overpowered with balsamic.. I’m hoping when I pour it over the pasta, the other flavors come out
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6 years ago
Nancy
I love all things pasta and this is my new favorite pasta salad! I’ve made it several times and people always want the recipe. It’s definitely better with the dressing fresh as opposed to marinated overnight, so I usually prep everything the day before and then mix together when it’s time to eat! Thank you for sharing this gem of a recipe!
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6 years ago
Kimberly P.
I’ve made this several times since finding your recipe and everyone loves it. It is Sooooo GOOD! I had some “fancy” baklouti chili flavored olive oil in my pantry that I decided to use (half plain olive oil & half chili) since it was sitting in my pantry for awhile which makes it slightly spicy but oh so good. Thanks for sharing. I will have to check out your other recipes.
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6 years ago
Tati
I am going to marinate the add ins in the dressing and then overnite and then pour over the cooked pasta. It does taste better with the fresh dressing over the pasta as it does tend to dry up when left over nite. Make sure the pasta heavy textured rather have it light.
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7 years ago
Kim Binder
I’m with you. I like it freshly coated!
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7 years ago
Gail Varney
Balsamic vinegar turned this salad oddly dark, almost unappetizing. Has anyone tried white balsamic?
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7 years ago
Julia
Color change is normal. You can try the white balsamic, I personally have never tried it.
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7 years ago
Becky
Make a similar salad, but toss all ingredients in a jumbo zipper type bag, mix all in the bag and toss when done. Love the addition of balsamic.
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7 years ago
Helen
I haven’t made this recipe but when I make pasta salad I cut everything the night before and let the peppers, cubes, olives and salami marinate in the dressing overnight in the fridge and the next day make the pasta fresh, cool it with running cold water over it, drain add extra dressing and the veggies…. veggies have extra flavor but the pasta has that great just made texture.
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6 years ago
Morgan
Do you soak the cheese as well??
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5 years ago
