Classic Pasta Salad

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 10

Chill time for Italian Dressing: 1

Total Time: 1 35

Servings: people

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

This Classic Pasta Salad is both delicious and visually stunning. Be sure to use top-notch dressing! If not serving right away, simply add a little more dressing just before serving, and toss gently. This salad is best when served within a few hours (at the most) of preparing. And at room temperature.

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Ingredients

½ cup Italian Dressing or good-quaity store-bought
12 oz pasta tri-color rotini, or fusilli, bow tie, or elbow
½ cup artichoke hearts, in oil drained, or more, if desired
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and roughly chopped, use more, if desired
½ cup mozzarella balls
½ cup black olives sliced and drained, use more, if desired
¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the Italian dressing and chill for at least one hour.
½ cup Italian Dressing
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of liberally salted (1 tbsp) water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Usually 9 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water until no longer hot. Transfer to a large bowl.
12 oz pasta
Add the artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella balls, olives, basil, salt, pepper, and dressing.
½ cup artichoke hearts, in oil, ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, ½ cup mozzarella balls, ½ cup black olives, ¼ cup fresh basil, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Gently stir until the pasta is fully coated and all ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste and add more salt and/or dressing, if desired.
Serve at once, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. If not serving immediately, add several tablespoons of dressing just before serving, and stir.

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.

We strongly suggest using the homemade Italian dressing for this salad. It really puts it over the top. However, a quality bottled version will work, too.

Small to medium bite-sized pasta works well. Rotini or fusilli are our favorites. Tri-color is tasty and very beautiful.

This pasta salad is easily adapted to tastes. Other great additions are cucumbers, Italian cured meats, and pepperoncini peppers.

It is best served fresh, but you can make it up to a day in advance. Just add more of the dressing and toss before serving. We find that it's still perfect after sitting in the fridge for up to 4 hours before serving. Setting the salad out an hour before serving helps the flavor and texture, too.

Nutrition