Easy Pasta Salad

This Easy Pasta Salad Recipe is going to be your new best friend all summer long! Tender noodles are tossed with ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and more. It's a freshly flavored side dish that totally hits the spot! The best part? It couldn't be any easier to make.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword best pasta salad, cold pasta salad, easy pasta salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Additional Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 270kcal

Author Jennifer

Ingredients

16 ounces tri-colored pasta
1 pint grape tomatoes halved
1 large cucumber peeled and diced
⅓ cup red onion finely chopped
3.5 ounces sliced black olives drained
8 ounces container mozzarella cheese “pearls” cut in half
1 ¼ cup Olive Garden Dressing or your favorite Italian dressing
Top with shredded parmesan before serving about ½ cup

Instructions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse in cold water.
Pour pasta into a large bowl, add tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and mozzarella pearls.
Pour dressing to evenly coat.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour but best is 4 hours to 1 day. I think it actually tastes the best the DAY after you make it.
Right before serving, top with shredded parmesan.

Notes

Pasta Salad will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just note that the veggies may not be as crisp and fresh by day 3 because of the Italian dressing, but it’ll still be tasty! Also, try not to add the parmesan cheese to your Pasta Salad until you serve it, as it doesn’t hold up well in the fridge with the other ingredients.

Nutrition