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Classic Italian Pasta Salad

Classic Italian pasta salad with pepperoni, mozzarella, and tri-color rotini tossed in Italian dressing. Chilled for hours so every bite stays coated and flavorful, with crunchy tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, and red onion.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 720
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad base
  • 1 lb tri-color rotini pasta
  • 8 oz pepperoni slices
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup green bell pepper
  • 0.5 cup black olives
  • 0.5 cup red onion
  • 1 can (16 oz) Italian dressing
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the tri-color rotini pasta according to package directions until tender. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water to cool it quickly and stop further cooking.
Assemble the salad
  1. Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl. Combine with pepperoni slices, cubed mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, diced green bell pepper, sliced black olives, and diced red onion.
  2. Pour in the Italian dressing. Add grated Parmesan and Italian seasoning, then toss until everything is evenly coated.
  3. Season with salt and pepper. Toss once more to distribute the seasoning.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 3 hours or overnight. Toss occasionally during chilling so the Italian dressing penetrates the pasta.
Serve
  1. Toss the salad again before serving. Add more dressing if needed to refresh the coating and keep the tri-color pasta vibrant.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the pasta until fully cool and drain well so the Italian dressing clings instead of pooling. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days; it also freezes poorly because the vegetables and cheese can soften—skip freezing. Dietary swap: use turkey pepperoni or omit pepperoni for a lighter version while keeping the same Italian dressing base.