This Tri-Color Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing is my go-to summer dish! I make it with rotini, Italian dressing, mozzarella cheese, bell peppers, black olives, and cherry tomatoes. I eat this pasta salad all summer because there are endless variations, and it’s so easy to whip up!
Table of Contents
You Will Love This Tri Color Pasta Salad
I don’t know about you, but once May hits and school is almost over, I start getting the itch for slower days of no schedules, lots of pool time, and less time heating my oven in the kitchen.
Today I am sharing a recipe with you that will help you do just that. This Easy Pasta Salad is so easy to put together you will be in and out of your kitchen in no time and back out at the pool where we all want to be.
This tri-color pasta salad is easy to make and full of fresh veggies. It just screams summertime. Summertime means potlucks, BBQs, and pool parties.
This pasta salad is the best dish to bring to any one of those parties because it is easy to put together, and everyone loves it! Add some protein to it, and you have an instant main dish.
Ingredients and Estimated Cost
Per Serving Cost: $0.89
Recipe Cost: $10.68
- 1 pound tri-color rotini pasta – $1.28
- 2 cups Italian Dressing – $0.92
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese – $2.11
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes – $2.88
- 8 ounces can olives – $1.53
- 1 green bell pepper – $0.58
- 1 red bell pepper – $1.38
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
How To Make Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing
Each number matches up with the numbered steps below.
Cook and Drain Pasta:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions
2. Drain the tri-color pasta, but DO NOT run it under cold water.
Add Dressing and Other Ingredients:
3. the cooked pasta with 1 cup of salad dressing and let it cool for 30 minutes. This helps the pasta absorb the dressing.
4. In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, mozzarella cheese, olives, peppers, and the remaining dressing.
Toss, Chill, and Serve:
5. Toss the pasta salad to combine everything. Cover and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, transfer to a serving bowl, and enjoy!
***For complete instructions and a recipe video, see the recipe card below.
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Easy Pasta Salad Variations
I love making a big batch of this trip-color pasta salad at the beginning of the week and then eat it all week long. It gets more and more flavorful as it sits in the refrigerator. Below are some of my favorite add-ins or variations to this Tri-Color Pasta Salad recipe.
- Pasta: While I love using tricolor rotini, some other good pasta choices are bow ties, macaroni, medium or small shells, orzo, and Radiatore pasta.
- Meat: rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken, mini pepperoni, salami, ham, and crispy bacon. Note that bacon is best added right before serving and when you know all of the salad will be eaten in one sitting, like at pot lucks. This will ensure that the bacon doesn’t get soft or gummy.
- Vegetables: cucumbers (deseeded so that the pasta salad doesn’t get watery), blanched or roasted broccoli, green onions, artichoke hearts, frozen and thawed corn, sliced zucchini, sliced yellow squash, or red onions.
- Beans: garbanzo beans (my favorite!), red kidney beans, white beans, and black beans.
- Herbs: chopped fresh basil, parsley, dill, chives, and cilantro.
- Cheese: cubbed cheddar cheese, Havarti, or Monterey Jack cheese. Also, shredded cheese like Parmesan, crumbled feta cheese, or mini mozzarella cheese balls work well, too.
Serving and Storage Tips
SERVE: You can keep the pasta salad out for about two hours before it will need to be refrigerated.
STORE: The finished salad will keep covered for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
FREEZE: Frozen and thawed pasta salad can be a little on the soft side, but you can freeze it. Place the finished pasta salad in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
DEFROST: Defrost at room temperature for about 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Give everything a good stir before serving.
What To Serve With Tri Color Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is the perfect companion for anything you put on the grill, in my opinion. My Loaded Italian Sausage Burgers are a great alternative to a traditional hamburger and do not lack flavor. Pair the sausage burgers with this salad, and you have a home run of a meal.
These Grilled Pork Chops are juicy and tender. This would also be a great side dish for the pork chops. BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are also a great choice to serve with pasta salad.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can make pasta salad in advance, which makes it perfect for those busy nights. Just keep the second cup of dressing separate and toss it in 10 minutes before serving the pasta salad.
When storing it in an airtight container, pasta salad will stay fresh for 4-5 days.
The best kinds of pasta for pasta salad are short shapes such are rotini, farfalle, and penne. They have plenty of nooks and crannies to soak up the dressing and herbs.
More Salad Recipes
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Poppy Seed Pasta Salad
- Pistachio Salad
- Italian Salad
- Spaghetti Pasta Salad
- Cranberry Chicken Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Spinach Salad
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
Watch How To Make It
I aim to cater to different learning styles. If you prefer learning by watching, watch a video of this recipe below.
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Tri Color Pasta Salad
Equipment
- colander
- liquid measuring cup
- measuring cup
- cutting board
- knife
- large bowl
- mixing spoon
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound tri-color rotini pasta
- 2 cups Italian Dressing
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 ounces can pitted and sliced black olives drained
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
COOK PASTA:
- Cook the pasta as per the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta into a colander and then dump it back into the pot.
DRESS AND COOL PASTA:
- Add 1 cup of the Italian dressing and stir until the pasta absorbs the dressing.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
MIX PASTA SALAD:
- In a large bowl, add the pasta, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, black olives, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and the remaining 1 cup of Italian dressing.
CHILL:
- Toss gently, then refrigerate for at least one hour.
TO FINISH:
- Season with salt and pepper, and then transfer the salad to a serving bowl.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
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i AM MAKING THIS TODAY AND ADDED ASIAGO CHUNKS AND RED ONION FOR TASTE FOR MY FAMILY…HOPE THEY LOVE IT.
I made it it’s so good .
This is a wonderful recipe and I love playing with it. I often throw in different variations: garbanzo beans, diced artichoke hearts, diced blanched carrots, diced cucumber, or corn kernels. It’s so much fun to change it up and have varieties of color. Always delicious!
Julie, I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe! I love playing around with this recipe, too. Pretty much anything goes!
I’m making this right now. I’ve made pasta salad before but never marinaded the pasta alone in Italian dressing. So excited. I added beans and dropped the olives but it’ll be amazing
Love the simplicity of the recipe and I love the ingredients you have chosen. I look forward to making it very soon. I do have one comment about the instructions, #2 in particular. You have omitted the red bell pepper. I’m sure that was just an oversight but any ingredient not included may well make a great difference in the outcome of your recipe. Thank you and please, do not be offended. I really enjoy what you do.
Hi Barbara, thanks for catching my mistake. The red bell pepper is supposed to go in during instruction #2. I fixed the recipe, so it’s good to go now. Enjoy. 🙂
I read the red bell pepper in the instructions
Such a great recipe that is a summertime staple in my house! Enjoyed every bite!
A perfect summertime side dish! Love how budget friendly it is to make too!
Love a good pasta salad! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Easy recipes are the best! Can’t wait to take this on my next picnic!
What a great summer recipe! Pasta salad is such a great way to get your carb fix without being unhealthy. Brilliant!
Pasta salads are a must at any BBQ or picnic. A great way to use up leftovers.
I love pasta salad, so good for so many purposes, this one sounds delicious!
I love pasta salads! Looks so delicious and balanced. Can’t wait to try this recipe soon.
Recipe sounds very good, just wanted to ask how it would be if I added 1 cucumber to this recipe. Would I have to add anything additional to make sure it doesn’t turn out dry. Thank you.
If you want to add cucumber to your pasta salad, you may want to consider the following tips to ensure it doesn’t turn out dry:
Increase the Dressing: Cucumbers can release a lot of water, but they can also absorb some of the dressing. Consider making a little extra dressing to ensure the salad stays moist.
Add the Cucumber Just Before Serving: This helps prevent the cucumber from releasing too much water into the salad if it sits for a while.
My family loves a good pasta salad recipe! I’m sure they will love this one!