Classic Vinaigrette Pasta Salad

Name: Classic Vinaigrette Pasta Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb rotini or fusilli pasta; 1 cup bottled or homemade Italian dressing; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 cucumber, diced; 1 bell pepper, diced; 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced; 1 cup black olives, sliced; 1 cup mozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella; 4 oz salami, diced (optional); 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan; Salt and pepper, to taste

Rotini tossed with crisp vegetables, salami, and mozzarella in a zesty Italian dressing, chilled to let the flavors soak in.

⏱ Prep 20m🔥 Cook 12m🕒 Total 32m🍽 10 servings

#potluck#picnic

Your rating:

✨

Ask Chef AI

Scan this recipe for pairings, improvements, nutrition — or ask anything.

Transform this recipe

Servings

Units

Oven temp

👨‍🍳 Cooking mode

Ingredients

1 lbrotini or fusilli pasta
1 cupbottled or homemade Italian dressing
1 cupcherry tomatoes, halved
1cucumber, diced
1bell pepper, diced
1/2red onion, thinly sliced
1 cupblack olives, sliced
1 cupmozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella
4 ozsalami, diced (optional)
2 Tbspgrated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Nutrition / serving

No nutrition data for this recipe — tap Nutrition in Ask Chef AI above for an estimate.

Cost estimate

My notes

Method

1
Cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it quickly.
2
Toss the warm-cooled pasta with about a third of the Italian dressing while it's still slightly warm — pasta absorbs dressing best right after cooking.
3
Add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, olives, mozzarella, and salami if using.
4
Pour in the remaining dressing and toss well to coat everything evenly.
5
Sprinkle with Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally overnight, before serving; toss again and add a splash of fresh dressing if the pasta has soaked it up.