Italian Pasta Salad Easy, Quick & Delicious!

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Are you looking for a pasta salad recipe? This recipe is for an Easy Italian Pasta Salad. It is made with noodles, tomatoes, bell peppers, black olives, Italian dressing, and… Don’t let this dish’s easiness fool you, it’s delicious.

It’s perfect for taking to a potluck or party. An easy dinner idea. They are great for lunches, back-to-school, packing your lunch for work… And best of all easy enough to make for when it’s hot outside and you don’t want to cook. Hello, dog days of summer. Use it for a Halloween party or tail-gating…

This cold pasta salad recipe can easily be adapted and cut in half to serve fewer people. And is an excellent side dish or meal any time of the year!

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Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Italian Pasta Salad can be made with homemade Italian dressing or store-bought Italian dressing. It is up to your preference and how much time you have. Or how easy you want to make it. They are also easy to adapt by using or adding other ingredients.

If you are new here or looking for a different recipe; find all our Pasta salad recipes. Let’s make this easy Italian dressing pasta salad!

Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Servings: 12-16 (party-size pasta salad) – Easily adapt this recipe to serve 6-8 by cutting the ingredients in half.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 8 minutes
• Downtime: 1 hour

Store the refrigerated pasta salad in an airtight container or a covered dish. Pasta Salad can last in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days!

Helpful Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe:

• Measuring cups and Measuring spoons
• Chef knife (or other sharp knife)
• Cutting Board
• Large Stockpot/Pasta Pot
• Large Colander
• Large Bowl
• Salad Serving Utensils

Ingredients

Italian Pasta Salad Ingredients

• 12 ounces of Bow-Tie Noodles (or other pasta noodles)
• 1 Green Bell Pepper (chopped)
• Cherry Tomatoes (1 pint)
• 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
• 6-ounce can of Pitted Black Olives
• 1 1/4 cup Italian Dressing, divided

Target Grocery List For This Recipe

Are you doing a pickup order at Target? We’ve made it easy for you to add what you need to your cart. Click here to add items to your cart; Bow-Tie Noodles, Green Bell Pepper, Cherry Tomatoes, Italian Dressing, Italian Spices Seasoning, Pitted Black Olives, and Parmesan Cheese. We also like this Italian Vinaigrette Dressing made with avocado oil.

Alternative Serving Size

Servings 6-8

Recipe Ingredients for 6-8 servings

Recipe halved: 6 ounces of noodles, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, 1.5 (1-1/2 tsp.) teaspoons of Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, 3 ounces of pitted black olives, 5/8 cup of Italian Dressing.

Instructions

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot or stockpot halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil and add the pasta. Reduce heat and cook according to the package (about 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente).
2. Drain the pasta using a colander. Rinse the noodles under cold water.
3. Wash and chop the green bell peppers into 1/2-inch pieces.
   (If you prefer a sweeter bell pepper, use a red bell pepper.)
4. Add 1 cup of the dressing, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning to a small bowl, and stir to combine.
5. Add the drained, rinsed noodles to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the noodles. Then toss them to coat them.
6. Add washed cherry tomatoes, drained (pitted) black olives, and chopped bell peppers, then toss to combine.
7. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
8. Before serving, add the additional 1/4 cup of dressing and gently coat the pasta salad.
9. Top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• You can make this salad the day before. Just add more of the Italian dressing and toss before serving.
• Do you need a smaller portion of this recipe? Just adjust the ingredients by half!
• Optionally, you can use homemade Italian dressing if you prefer.
• Other additions can be minced or crushed garlic.
• Other bell peppers such as red, yellow, and orange are also good in this recipe too. They are a little sweeter.
• If you use other pasta noodles, cook them al dente according to the package directions.
• The kinds of pasta good for pasta salad are; penne, rotini, tri-colored rotini, medium shells such as sea shell pasta, and farfalle (bow-tie noodles, which I used in this recipe).

We enjoy making and eating cold pasta salad year-round! It really can be served for so many occasions. Or made to use for dinner and lunches.

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Yield: 12

Italian Pasta Salad Easy

Print

Easy Italian Pasta Salad - It is made with noodles, tomatoes, bell peppers, black olives, Italian dressing, and… Don’t let this dish’s easiness fool you, it’s delicious. This cold pasta salad recipe can easily be adapted and cut in half to serve fewer people. And is an excellent side dish or meal any time of the year!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 18 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces of Bow-Tie Noodles (or other pasta noodles)
• 1 Green Bell Pepper (chopped)
• Cherry Tomatoes (1 pint)
• 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
• 6-ounce can of Pitted Black Olives
• 1 1/4 cup Italian Dressing, divided

Instructions

How To Make Pasta Salad

1. Fill a large pot or stockpot halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil and add the pasta. Reduce heat and cook according to the package (about 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente).
2. Drain the pasta using a colander. Rinse the noodles under cold water.
3. Wash and chop the green bell peppers into 1/2-inch pieces.(If you prefer a sweeter bell pepper, use a red bell pepper.)
4. Add 1 cup of the dressing, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning to a small bowl, and stir to combine.
5. Add the drained, rinsed noodles to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the noodles. Then toss them to coat them.
6. Add washed cherry tomatoes, drained (pitted) black olives, and chopped bell peppers, then toss to combine.
7. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
8. Before serving, add the additional 1/4 cup of dressing and gently coat the pasta salad.
9. Top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

• You can make this salad the day before. Just add more of the Italian dressing and toss before serving.
• Do you need a smaller portion of this recipe? Just adjust the ingredients by half!
• Optionally, you can use homemade Italian dressing if you prefer.
• Other additions can be minced or crushed garlic.
• Other bell peppers such as red, yellow, and orange are also good in this recipe too. They are a little sweeter in taste.
• If you use other pasta noodles cook them al dente according to the package directions.
• The kinds of pasta good for pasta salad are; penne, rotini, tri-colored rotini, medium shells such as sea shell pasta, and farfalle (bow-tie noodles, which I used in this recipe).

Italian Pasta Salad Easy

Servings 6-8

Recipe Ingredients for 6-8 servings

Recipe halved: 6 ounces of noodles, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, 1.5 (1-1/2 tsp.) teaspoons of Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, 3 ounces of pitted black olives, 5/8 cup of Italian Dressing.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Cuisinart 766S-22 6 Qt. Stainless Steel Pasta Pot w/Straining Cover Chef's-Classic-Stainless-Cookware-Collection, 6-Quart
• 
  Stainless Steel Colander With Handle Colander, Dishwasher Safe
• 
  Denmark White Porcelain Chip Resistant Scratch Resistant Commercial Grade Serveware, 3 Piece Serving Bowl Set
• 
  cusinine 2-in-1 Silicone Food Tongs for Cooking and Serving Pasta, Salad, Meat, and Vegetables, Fork and Spoon Spatula Grips, Heat Resistant, Non-Stick, and BPA Free

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 132Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 2mgSodium 386mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 3g

Not all nutritional information is always 100% accurate.

Looking for more pasta salad ideas or salad ideas?

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3. Grilled Chicken Salad with Ginger Dressing
4. Chicken + Chopped Salad Recipe
5. Chicken Salad Recipe
6. Marinated Vegetable Salad 
7. Sweet Potato Pineapple Salad
8. Beet, Cucumber, Tomato Salad 

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