Pasta Salad
To make this classic Pasta Salad, cook rotini pasta until al dente and cool it completely. Toss the cooled pasta with fresh chopped vegetables, black and green olives, pepperoni, provolone cheese, and Italian dressing. Chill for at least an hour before serving so the flavors meld together.
Pasta salad has been asked to do a lot of unpaid labor at cookouts. It gets made early, travels in somebody’s back seat, sits beside three kinds of chips, and is still expected to taste like a real dish. This one earns its spot by giving the rotini something worth carrying: cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, black and green olives, pepperoni, provolone, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, parsley, Italian dressing, oregano, garlic, and a little red pepper flake.
The small decisions matter more than they look. Cook the rotini only to al dente so it doesn’t turn soft after chilling, rinse it fully cold, and drain it well enough that leftover water can’t dilute the dressing. Chop the vegetables, meat, and cheese into roughly similar pieces so a forkful can actually contain more than one ingredient. That sounds obvious until you meet a pasta salad containing one cucumber chunk the size of a deck of cards. After tossing, give it at least an hour in the refrigerator. The pasta absorbs dressing as it sits, so taste again before serving and add another splash if it seems dry. Parmesan goes on at the end. The finished bowl should be tangy, salty, crunchy, creamy, and substantial enough that nobody politely takes one spoonful and then spends the rest of lunch pretending they forgot it exists.
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini pasta
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (for pasta water)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup black olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup green olives, sliced
- 4 oz pepperoni, quartered
- 4 oz sharp provolone, cubed (or mozzarella)
- 1/2 cup banana peppers, drained and sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3/4 cup Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade), plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
- 1Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it generously — the water should taste like the sea, not like regret. Add the rotini and cook according to package directions until al dente, usually 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook it; mushy pasta in a cold salad has no redemption arc.
- 2Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold running water for about 60 seconds until it is completely cooled. Shake the colander well and let it drain for a few minutes. Excess water will dilute your dressing and the pasta salad will taste like a near miss.
- 3While the pasta cools, prep all your vegetables, olives, pepperoni, and cheese. Dice everything into roughly the same size so every forkful has a little of each thing — about half-inch pieces is the goal.
- 4In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta with the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, black olives, green olives, pepperoni, provolone, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, and parsley.
- 5Pour 3/4 cup of Italian dressing over the pasta mixture. Add the dried oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Toss everything together thoroughly until all the pasta and vegetables are coated.
- 6Taste and season with salt and black pepper. The dressing will mellow as it chills, so it can handle a little more seasoning than you think right now.
- 7Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight. Before serving, give it a good toss and add a splash more Italian dressing if the pasta has absorbed too much. Top with grated Parmesan.
Nutrition Information
Estimated per serving: 1 serving (calculated using 11 servings, the midpoint of the stated 10–12 range).
Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. The calculation uses the midpoint of the stated yield range. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.
Pro Tips
- Salt your pasta water like you mean it. This is the only time the pasta itself gets seasoned, and a bland noodle will haunt the entire bowl no matter how good your dressing is.
- Dress it cold, not warm. Dressing warm pasta makes it absorb too much too fast and turns greasy. Let the pasta cool completely first — this was the mistake I made for years and I am telling you now so you don't have to feel what I felt.
- Make it the night before if you can. A pasta salad that has spent eight hours thinking about what it's doing in the refrigerator is a better pasta salad. The flavors settle in and it stops tasting like a collection of ingredients and starts tasting like a dish.
Substitutions
Storage Instructions
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The pasta will continue to absorb dressing as it sits; stir in a tablespoon or two of Italian dressing before serving leftovers to refresh it. Do not freeze pasta salad — the vegetables turn watery and the texture becomes deeply discouraging. The pasta will continue to absorb dressing as it sits; stir in a tablespoon or two of Italian dressing before serving leftovers to refresh it. Do not freeze pasta salad — the vegetables turn watery and the texture becomes deeply discouraging.
Make Ahead
This pasta salad is best made 4 to 12 hours ahead of serving. Prepare the full recipe, dress it, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Hold back about 2 tablespoons of dressing to toss in right before serving. The salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance with excellent results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I adjust Pasta Salad for the ingredients I have?
Here are some substitutions to consider: rotini → penne, farfalle, or cavatappi; pepperoni → salami, ham, or grilled chicken; and provolone → fresh mozzarella or feta.
