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Supreme Pasta Salad

Supreme salad is an ultimate loaded pasta salad with cubes of mozzarella, sliced olives, and a creamy Italian dressing coating. Cooked rotini is rinsed cold for a firm bite, then chilled until it’s ready for a crowd-pleaser side dish.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Tri-color rotini pasta
  • 1 lb tri-color rotini pasta
Salami
  • 8 oz salami cubed
Pepperoni
  • 8 oz pepperoni quartered
Mozzarella cheese
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese cubed
Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
Cucumber
  • 1 cup cucumber diced
Black olives
  • 1 cup black olives sliced
Green bell pepper
  • 1 cup green bell pepper diced
Red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion diced
Italian dressing
  • 1 cup Italian dressing
Parmesan cheese
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 salt to taste
  • 0.25 pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and chill base
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook tri-color rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and keep the bite firm.
  2. Spread the drained pasta on a sheet pan in a thin layer and let it cool to room temperature so the dressing will cling instead of melting into the noodles.
  3. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, tossing occasionally, until cold and the flavors blend.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine tri-color rotini pasta, salami, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, green bell pepper, and red onion.
  2. Add Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning, then toss until every pasta piece is coated with a creamy Italian dressing.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again to distribute evenly.
  4. Before serving, check the texture and add more dressing if needed so the salad stays creamy, then toss one more time.

Notes

Pro tip: Rinsing the rotini with cold water after draining helps prevent mushy pasta, especially when you’re chilling for hours. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended because the vegetables and cheese can soften. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat mozzarella and a reduced-sugar Italian dressing while keeping the rest the same.