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Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing

Italian dressing pasta salad with rotini and crunchy vegetables, coated in bottled Italian dressing and finished with Parmesan. Chill for at least 2 hours so the pasta absorbs the flavor for a simple, ready-to-serve side.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 540
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

rotini pasta
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
Italian dressing
  • 1 can (16 oz) Italian dressing
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
cucumber
  • 1 cup cucumber
green bell pepper
  • 1 cup green bell pepper
red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion
black olives
  • 0.5 cup black olives
Parmesan cheese
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain it and rinse under cold water to cool it quickly and stop further cooking.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, and black olives in a large bowl.
  2. Pour in Italian dressing, then add Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning and toss until everything looks evenly coated.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours so the flavors develop while the dressing clings to the pasta.
  2. Toss again before serving; if the pasta looks dry, add more Italian dressing so vegetables and pasta are visibly coated.

Notes

Pro tip: Rinsing the pasta with cold water keeps it from clumping and helps the Italian dressing coat more evenly. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days; for best texture, give it a quick toss before serving and add a splash of extra dressing if needed. Freezing is not recommended because the vegetables can turn watery after thawing. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat Parmesan and a lower-oil Italian dressing.