Description
This easy Italian pasta salad is made with rotini pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and fresh parsley tossed in a simple Italian dressing. It’s a fresh and flavorful make-ahead salad perfect for gatherings or meal prep.
Ingredients
- 12 oz uncooked tricolor rotini pasta (about 4 cups cooked)
- 1 cup chopped English cucumber, sliced into rounds then quartered
- 2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes with seeds and core removed (or use grape tomatoes)
- 1 cup sliced black olives, drained
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing
Instructions
1. Cook the rotini pasta in a pot of boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Drain through a strainer, rinse under cold water, and allow the pasta to cool to room temperature.
2. Wash and prepare the vegetables: slice the cucumber into rounds then quarter them, chop the tomatoes and remove seeds, dice the red onion, roughly chop the parsley, and drain the olives.
3. Add the cooled rotini pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and parsley to a large salad bowl.
4. Pour the Italian dressing over the salad and toss everything together until evenly coated. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then toss again before serving.
Notes
Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. The vegetables may soften slightly the longer it sits.
For meal prep, portion the salad into mason jars and seal with lids.
Homemade Italian dressing option: whisk together 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tsp granulated sugar or honey, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 247 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 3114 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg