This easy Italian pasta salad recipe is made with rotini pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, red onion and parsley. All tossed together with an easy homemade Italian salad dressing. It’s a cold pasta salad recipe perfect for serving at your next gathering.

A bowl of italian pasta salad with rotini noodles, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, parsley.

Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

It's hard to beat a delicious cold pasta salad recipe in Spring or Summer!

Pasta salads like our Greek pasta salad and of course this one is so versatile and one of the easiest dishes to bring to a gathering at a friend's place, barbecue, potluck, or church event.

This recipe can be whipped up fast and stored in the fridge until you need to serve. And actually, if you let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge, the ingredients will absorb the salad dressing wonderfully, similar to how a marinade works.

We are big fans of easy salad recipes because they're healthy and a great way to enjoy a variety of vegetables.

For more pasta-type salads, you can try my dill pickle pasta salad, BLT pasta salad, tuna macaroni pasta salad, Hawaiian macaroni pasta salad, and creamy pea salad for some more delicious ideas.

Recipe Ingredients

PASTA – If you want to use the same style of pasta that I did, I used tricolor rotini pasta. It's a spiral pasta noodle in three different colors. These create a delightful color and texture for this pasta salad recipe. But you can absolutely use any type of pasta noodle here including macaroni, penne and spaghetti noodles. If you need to make this gluten-free, that’s doable too! My personal favorite is brown rice pasta as it still tastes good when it's cold. Some GF pastas will not work, for example chickpea pasta.
CUCUMBER – English cucumbers work best because they have a thin skin and fewer seeds. Slice them into ½″ thick rounds, then quarter them.
TOMATOES – Firm ripe tomatoes of any kind will work. I used roma tomatoes and removed all seeds and core. Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes can also be good options - just slice those in half.
RED ONION – Raw chopped red onion is truly the best in salads! It's slightly sweet and a little spicy. Some people are not red onion fans, so you can also try chopped green onions, or scallions instead.
OLIVES – Canned sliced black olives are drained through a strainer then added to the pasta.
PARSLEY – Chopped fresh parsley will add some freshness. Swap with dried parsley if you would like.

Greek Salad Dressing

Using just a few ingredients, you can make this salad recipe at home. If you want to save time, you can grab a store-bought jar of Italian salad instead. Both will work just fine!

You can use my homemade Italian salad dressing recipe which is quick and easy. This is what you’ll need:

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

How To Make Italian Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is really simple! Here's an overview of how to make this. You can see full instructions in the recipe card below.

COOK PASTA – Boil a large pot of salted water. Add in the rotini pasta and cook til al dente (firm but tender). Rinse the pasta in a strainer under cold water. Shake of the excess water. This will help to cool it down quicker.
ASSEMBLE – In a large salad bowl, add the cooled rotini pasta, chopped cucumber, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, diced red onion, and chopped fresh parsley. Gently mix everything together.
SALAD DRESSING – Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk it all together for 1 minute. Drizzle it overtop of the salad.
MIX – Gently toss all the salad ingredients together. You can use two spoons or hands. I prefer hands because then I can scoop up all the small pieces that sink to the bottom. It's a bit messy, but it works well.
CHILL – Cover the salad with a lid or plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 1-2 hours. This allows the ingredients to absorb the flavors of the dressing. Just before serving give it another toss together.

How To Store Leftovers

This salad can be refrigerated for 3-4 days after making it. Store it in an airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. For meal prep it can be stored in mason jars sealed with the lid.

The veggies will lose some of their crispness over time. The longer you store the salad, the more the vegetables will become a bit soggy. Personally, I don’t like to leave leftover pasta salad longer than 2 days, but that’s just my preference.

Recipe Tips

This pasta salad makes a very large serving, so use the biggest bowl you have when mixing all the ingredients together.
It will taste the best when served on the same day that you make it. I recommend making it 2-5 hours before you plan to serve to allow enough time for veggies to absorb the flavors of the dressing.
Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap in the fridge to keep the ingredients fresh and crisp before serving.

Variations

SWAP PASTA – Any style of pasta noodles will work here including macaroni, penne, bow tie, and spaghetti noodles. You can also make this gluten-free by using brown rice pasta noodles. Just a quick note that not all gluten-free pasta tastes good when it’s cold, for example, chickpea pasta, so you’ll have to test it out first to check and see.
CHANGE DRESSING – Toss with a vinaigrette or Greek salad dressing. Make it creamy by mixing it with ranch or Caesar dressing. Play around with my 6 easy salad dressing recipes for different flavors.
VEGGIES – Try adding celery, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, or shredded cabbage.
CHEESE – Add cubed cheddar cheese, mozzarella, crumbled feta or parmesan would also work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can it stay out on the table for an hour or two?

Yes this pasta recipe can be left out at room temperature for a few hours. This is good to know if you’re bringing it to a picnic, potluck or church gathering. It can also be a great lunch idea to bring to work!

How do you keep pasta salad from getting soggy?

A few things can help with this. First, make sure to cook the pasta til al dente. This is when it’s still a bit firm, but tender enough to chew. If you cook it too long, the pasta will be soggy and start to fall apart as you mix together the ingredients.

Second, you’ll want to remove the pulp and seeds from the tomatoes. Personally, I didn’t do this with grape tomatoes, but I definitely would if using regular-sized ones like roma tomatoes.

The longer the salad is stored in the fridge, the soggier it may get. This is because the vegetables will release their liquid into the salad over time.

You don’t need to worry about this as much on the same day that you make the salad. But you’ll definitely start to notice it by day 2 and especially on day 3 of storing it in the fridge.

Italian pasta salad couldn't be easier to make and is the perfect side dish to serve at a barbecue, picnic or potluck. All you need to do is cook some rotini pasta, and toss it with cucumber, tomato, olives, red onion, and fresh parsley. Toss it with an easy Italian dressing for a tasty and flavorful dish.

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