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This Zesty Italian Pasta Salad packs a powerful flavor punch worthy of any summer barbecue or potluck and is easy to throw together at a moment’s notice. Made with pantry ingredients and fresh veggies, this easy pasta salad is a classic family favorite, perfect for potlucks and picnics.
Pasta salads are the perfect summertime side dish! We also love potluck favorites like Tuna Pasta Salad, Greek Pasta Salad, or Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad.
Why We Love It
- Bold Flavor – The zesty Italian dressing packs a punch in the flavor department, making this refreshing pasta salad a crowd favorite.
- Make Ahead Friendly – You can prepare this easy pasta salad up to a day in advance. In fact, it even tastes better the next day!
- Versatile – Add some Italian meats to make this a hearty meal pasta salad.
recipe walkthrough
Key Ingredients
This crowd-pleasing Italian pasta salad is endlessly customizable. Using your favorite pasta and veggies, you can come up with a perfect pasta salad everyone will love!
- Zesty Italian Dressing – This recipe includes both the prepared dressing and the seasoning mix to really amp up the flavor. It’s “zesty” but not spicy. If you prefer something more mild you can use a regular Italian dressing.
- Pasta – Pick your favorite pasta here! I love using rotini or penne, which I usually have on hand.
- Vegetables – Broccoli, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, and artichoke hearts are some of my favorites.
- Olives – Black olives or Kalamata olives add a delicious tangy flavor.
How to Make Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente (still with a little bit of a bite to it) and rinse it. Usually, I don’t recommend rinsing your pasta, but that’s just for hot dishes. A quick rinse in cold water will help the pasta stop cooking. Then put it in the fridge to chill.
- Chop the veggies and add to the pasta. Chop the veggies if you haven’t already and add them into the cooled pasta. You can optionally marinate the veggies in the dressing for 3-4 hours for more flavor, before adding to the pasta.
- Add olives. Drain the olives and add to the pasta salad. You can use any kind of olives you like here. Black olives are always a favorite while Kalamata olives add more zip.
- Mix in dressing and seasoning. Pour half a bottle of Zesty Italian dressing and sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of the dry Zesty Italian seasoning mix over the pasta and toss together.
Best Pasta for Pasta Salad
I love the tri-color rotini pasta for its bold colors and ridges to hold all the dressing. However, you can use whatever small pasta you like, from shells to macaroni.
Serving Suggestions
Italian Pasta Salad tastes great alongside grilled chicken or steak, corn on the cob, and grilled zucchini.
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Give it a gentle stir before serving. Keep in mind that as it sits the pasta will absorb the dressing so add a splash more before enjoying leftovers.
Recipe Tips
- Feel free to customize your Italian Pasta Salad any way you like. Want more veggies? Add them! Don’t like olives? Leave them out! This is your salad so you need to like it!
- Try adding some Parmesan or Feta cheese for a little more flavor.
- For an easier bite, blanch the broccoli for a couple of minutes to soften before adding it to the pasta salad. Boil for a minute or two then transfer to a bowl of ice water.
- Make ahead up to 24 hours. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve. If the pasta absorbs the dressing, add a little more and give it a good stir.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
- Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound Rotini pasta or your choice of small pasta
- 1 cup Grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 cup Sliced red bell pepper
- 1 cup Chopped broccoli
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced or black olives
- 8 ounces bottled Zesty Italian dressing
- 1 tablespoon dry Zesty Italian dressing seasoning mix
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water when cooked.
- Add the vegetables to the salad. For extra flavor, marinate the veggies in the dressing for 3-4 hours prior to putting the salad together. This is optional.
- Add the olives to the salad and toss together.
- Mix in half of the Zesty Italian Dressing. Reserve the other half and the dry seasoning mix for immediately before serving the salad, and then mix in.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
So delicious!
Easy peszy!! So easy to make and so versatile!
Thank you Denise! Love the feedback.
Yummy! I love it.
Thanks Rebecca!
LOVED IT