This Classic Italian Pasta Salad is heavy on the veggies and bursting with flavor!
I love this salad because it’s so easy to make and the perfect side dish to bring to parties and pot lucks!
I took this pasta salad to my son’s Cub Scout “Blue and Gold” meeting earlier this week.
Are you familiar with Cub Scouts? Growing up, my brother never did cub scouts and I only have one son, so this is my first experience with it.
My husband (who is very familiar with the program) has been working out of town for the past year, so I’m trying to do all the scouting things with my son on my own. Mom style.
The boys had to come up with carnival games to play at their latest meeting and my son chose to do a ring toss. I bought several 2 liter bottles of soda and some pool rings. I gave my son and his friend a poster board and told them to make a sign for their game. I left the room and came back to a scribbled, barely legible sign.
I suggested for them to turn the poster board over and start over. But they had already scribbled on the back. Letting go of my OCD I just went with it and prayed I wasn’t going to be that mom that let their kid have a mess of a poster.
Lucky for my son, I do know what I’m doing in the kitchen.
I was able to whip up this delicious Italian Pasta Salad in no time.
I love tons of fresh veggies in my salad, so I added lots of cucumber, red bell pepper, onion and broccoli. And since my kids love olives, I added a bunch of those too. No Italian pasta salad is complete without some pepperoni, so don’t forget to add that!
HERE’S A TIP:
If you’re not a fan of chomping down on raw broccoli, just add the broccoli to the boiling pasta water for the last two minutes and then drain. Quickly rinse with cold water so the broccoli stops cooking, and you’re left with a tender-crisp bite. It’s perfect.
Toss everything with your favorite Italian dressing and you’re set!
I truly adore this salad. You’re going to love it too!
Oh and my son’s poster fit right in with all the other 8 and 9 year old boys. 😉
Make sure you don’t miss a thing! Follow I Wash You Dry here:
FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN
Classic Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. tri colored rotini pasta, uncooked
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup broccoli, cut into small pieces
- 1 ½ cups English cucumber, cut into half circles
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 6 oz black olives, sliced
- ½ cup purple onion, diced
- 1 cup pepperoni, sliced (quartered)
- 1 ½ cup Italian salad dressing, *see notes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta and 1 tsp olive oil. Cook until the pasta is al dente, and then add the broccoli florets. Cook 2 more minutes and then stain pasta and broccoli in a colander and run cold water over it until the pasta and broccoli are cooled. Drain completely and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the sliced cucumber, red bell pepper, olives, onion and pepperoni. Add in the pasta and broccoli and stir to combine. Pour in the dressing and toss to coat.
- Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve (up to 4 hours ahead of time for best results). Stir again before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped curly leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Fudge Ripple Pecan Brownies
lisa
Great recipes thank you my husband and I own an automotive shop i cook 4 days a week so i love your recipes keep them coming thank you.
Shawn
Thanks Lisa! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
Liz Myers
I hope making this the day before I plan to serve it isn’t too bad!?
Lilly
With the pasta, veggies, Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese I add green olives and black with cubed pepper jack cheese. I never use onions or pepperoni.
Kerri
Pepper jack is a great idea to add!
Cassandra
Does anyone know how many servings are for this recipe. Thanks for your help☺
Liis
Hi,
For someone who doesn’t like olives at all what would you recommend as a substitute? If any? I’m going to do this salad for tomorrow and eat it during the home-alone weekend.
Shawn
You could definitely skip the olives and try adding some cubed cheese!
Karen Friebolin
I love the idea of cooking the broccoli for a few minutes with the pasta. I, also, add small cubes of mozzarella.
Claira
This is now my go-to pasta salad recipe! Thanks for sharing!
hotmail login
Thanks for your sharing.
Horse names
Love easy salads like this!
circular saw guide
Love pasta salads!!
Brenda Lewis
Add a few chunks of cheddar cheese advots even bettet
Anna Wright
Amazing mixed salad! so delicious….yummm…
Libby Kushma
How does this Pasta Salad hold up in the refrigerator? I’m thinking of making it ahead of time for a 4 day boating trip at Lake Powell and curious if it will be okay refrigerated for that long.
b4norma
Parmesan Cheese is really good in this recipe,
Shawn
What a great addition! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Valerie
I love the pepperoni and olive combination in this salad! A delicious Italian pasta salad. I did use the mozzarella suggested in your comments and it was perfect. Pasta salads are a favourite of mine to make in the summer.
I have a ham and pasta salad that is super tasty and has lots of vegetables.
http://doubletherecipe.com/2016/05/06/ham-pasta-salad/
Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Heather Olson
I make the same pasta salad however if you want it top notch add suddenly salad seasoning and mini mozzarella balls
Shawn
Great additions! I love those little mozzarella balls! 🙂
Michelle K Drozdibob
Liz, making this the day before isn’t a problem. The only exception would be if you want to add small bits of cubed cheese. The cheese will get gummy/mushy, so if you want to add it in, do so right before serving!
Dev Patel
I love pasta Salad. Italian pasta is very popular in India as well and most of the hotels serve the pasta. Thanks for sharing the recipe
Shawn
Thanks Dev! 🙂
A Big Fan
Shawn–I just wanted to say, I love your site and have been gleaning from it for quite a while. Lately I have been doing some new gleaning–for a blog that I co-write. I just wanted you to know that I have been adding your recipe links in my blogs. Just wanted you to know in case you get added traffic and are wondering. I will always link back to you directly. I am getting ready to feature a list of your recipes so I will send you that blog once finished.
Judy D.
I’m curious…what were the comments about your son’s poster?
Shawn
Well, you know what?! No one said a thing! In fact, there were some other boys that made a poster and I kid you not, it looked almost identical! Made me feel better for letting the kids have creative control.
carrian cheney
I love this pasta salad! I don’tn know why I’ve never posted it either, but some day I’ll have to do that and in the meantime pin yours for everyone to make!
Shawn
I know! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this salad. Just seemed right to share it here too! 🙂
Meredith
Do you have a good recipe for an Italian Dressing that would be good on this salad? I am making a cold-Italian-vegetable dish for a friend who is a soy and dairy allergy.m
Shawn
I usually cheat and just use the bottle kind. I found this recipe for a homemade version for you, but it does have some Parmesan Cheese. I think it would be fine without it the cheese though. 🙂
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/01/11/homemade-italian-dressing/
Edda Härtling
I love pasta salads and trying new recipes. Fresh veggies an olives – sounds delicious.
Shawn
Thanks Edda, you’ll love this one! 🙂