Italian Summer Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad is a quick, easy & colorful cold summer salad with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, fresh herbs and Italian seasoning vinaigrette all tossed together for a great potluck dish!
Servings: 10 cups
Calories: 164kcal
Cost: $5
Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz.) box of pasta I used Rotini
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Toppings
- 1 large cucumber diced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese balls or any Italian cheese cubes
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 1 cup bell peppers I used mini
- 1 cup favorite Italian dressing
Instructions
- Boil the pasta with the salt in the water according to the package until al dente.
- While the pasta is happening, wash and dice all of the vegetables.
- After the pasta is finished, rinse it under cold tap water. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, and all chopped vegetables. Toss in cheese balls. Drizzle the Italian Herb Vinaigrette on top, then toss to combine.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and fresh cracked black pepper. Bon appetite!!
Using Instant Pot for cooking Pasta
- If using the Instant Pot, cover the pasta with water, season with salt and then cook on Manual HIGH for 4 min and then wait for 3 min keep warm counter and then release the pressure by turning the knob to venting.
Notes
If possible, refrigerate the cooked pasta for at least 1 hour before mixing in other ingredients. After you make it, chill it for an hour before serving so all the flavors meld together.
How to make Gluten-free Italian Summer Pasta Salad :
You can use gluten free pasta instead of regular pasta to make this recipe Gluten free .How to make Vegan Italian Summer Pasta Salad :
You can use vegan and dairy free cheese instead of regular cheese to make this recipe Vegan. You can simply skip the cheese as well.Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 391mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g