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Close-up of a creamy rotini pasta salad in a bowl, tossed with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper strips, black olives, fresh herbs, and lightly sprinkled with ground black pepper

Pasta Salad

A bright, crunchy pasta salad with a perfectly balanced creamy vinaigrette that never gets soggy.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz Rotini or penne pasta
  • 1 cup Cherry tomatoes - halved
  • 1 cup Cucumber - diced
  • 1 cup Red bell pepper - diced
  • ½ cup Red onion - finely chopped
  • ¼ cup Fresh herbs - parsley basil, or dill, chopped
  • ½ cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
  • to taste Salt and black pepper
  • Ice cubes - for serving
  • Bacon bits - optional
  • Black olives - optional sliced
  • Cheese cubes - optional e.g. cheddar or feta
  • Hard-boiled eggs - optional quartered

Equipment

  • 1 Large pot (for boiling pasta)
  • 1 Colander (to drain and rinse pasta)
  • 1 Large mixing bowl (for tossing salad)
  • 1 Small bowl (for whisking dressing)
  • 1 Sharp knife (for chopping vegetables)
  • 1 Cutting board
  • 1 Measuring cups
  • 1 Measuring spoons

Method
 

  1. Boil pasta in salted water until just al dente, then drain and rinse.
    Top-down view of a wooden cutting board with halved cherry tomatoes, diced red and orange bell peppers, thinly sliced red onion, and cucumber rounds arranged in separate piles
  2. Finely chop cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, and herbs.
    Overhead shot of al dente rotini pasta in a stainless-steel colander set over a white marble countertop, steam still rising.
  3. Toss warm pasta with olive oil and salt to keep it from sticking.
    Close-up of a glass measuring cup pouring vinaigrette over chopped vegetables in a large white bowl, oil droplets glistening as they fall.
  4. Whisk together mayonnaise, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, and spices.
  5. Gently fold chopped vegetables and dressing into the cooled pasta.
    Top-down shot of two wooden salad spoons stirring rotini pasta salad—cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers swirling together in a white bowl.

Nutrition

Serving: 200gCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 300mgPotassium: 180mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 500IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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