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Italian Pasta Salad

Italian pasta salad with rotini, salami, cubed mozzarella, olives, and colorful bell peppers tossed in Italian dressing. Chilled for a picnic-ready, classic antipasto salad texture with a tangy, well-coated finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian pasta salad
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 16 oz Italian dressing
  • 8 oz salami, cubed
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup black olives, sliced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Method
 

Cook and rinse pasta
  1. Cook rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until cool.
Toss the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine rotini pasta with Italian dressing and toss to coat until evenly glossy.
  2. Add salami, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, black olives, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and red onion, then toss to distribute the mix.
  3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning over the top, then toss again until well combined.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours, tossing occasionally so the dressing clings to the pasta.
  2. Before serving, check texture and add more dressing if needed, then toss briefly to refresh the coating.

Notes

For best flavor, rinse the pasta well after draining so it won’t clump, then chill uncovered for the first 30 minutes before covering. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze not recommended due to the vegetables and cheese texture. For a dairy-forward change, swap half the mozzarella for part-skim mozzarella or a dairy-free cheese alternative if you want a lighter option.