Easy Pasta Salad
Total Time
25 mins
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Rating
4.68 out of 5 stars
(58)
Ingredients
10
- 1 lb pasta, fusilli, penne, rotini
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups halved grape tomatoes
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup Italian dressing or use your favorite store bought dressing
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
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Preparation
Step 1
In a large pot of salted boiling water, add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water. Drain the pasta well after rinsing.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, bell peppers, tomatoes, and olives. Add the dressing and stir until pasta noodles and vegetables are well coated.
Step 3
Stir in the basil and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Toss with extra dressing before serving, if necessary.
This pasta salad is easy to customize. Feel free to mix things up and use what you have on hand. We are all about cleaning out the fridge in the summer and using what we have in our garden or what we pick up at the farmers market.
Some ingredients that would also work well in this salad include:
cucumbers, artichoke hearts, green onion, mini mozzarella cheese balls, cheese cubes, feta cheese or goat cheese, salami, ham, chicken, chickpeas, white beans, parsley.
