Description
This refreshing Pasta Salad recipe combines al dente rotini pasta with crisp cucumbers, sweet grape tomatoes, colorful bell peppers, and zesty red onions, all tossed in a flavorful Italian dressing and topped with tangy feta cheese. Perfect for potlucks, picnics, or as a light meal, this chilled salad is easy to prepare and makes a crowd-pleasing side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 16 ounces rotini pasta (or any medium pasta shape)
Vegetables
- 1 medium English cucumber, chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 small bell pepper (any color), chopped
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion (or sliced green onions)
- ¼ cup sliced black olives (optional)
Other
- 1 cup Italian dressing (or homemade dressing, see notes)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese (or to taste)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the rotini pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down.
- Prepare the vegetables: While the pasta is cooking, chop the cucumber, halve the grape tomatoes, chop the bell pepper, and finely dice the red onion or slice green onions as preferred.
- Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, chopped vegetables, Italian dressing, sliced black olives if using, and chopped fresh parsley. Toss everything gently but thoroughly to coat all the ingredients in the dressing.
- Season and add cheese: Season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste. Then gently fold in the crumbled feta cheese, distributing it evenly throughout the salad.
- Chill: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours. This resting time allows the flavors to meld and the pasta to absorb the dressing for a tastier salad.
Notes
- For homemade Italian dressing, mix ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
- To make this recipe vegan, omit the feta cheese or substitute with a plant-based cheese alternative.
- Adding sliced black olives is optional but adds a nice briny flavor to the salad.
- Use gluten-free pasta to make the salad gluten free if needed.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pasta salad, rotini pasta salad, easy pasta salad, Italian dressing salad, summer salad, picnic salad
