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Creamy Pasta Salad

Creamy pasta salad with rotini and colorful vegetables in a thick white dressing. This classic side dish gets rinsed-cold pasta, a tangy mayo sour cream base, and a 2-hour chill for picnic-ready flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad base
  • 1 lb rotini or bow-tie pasta Cook until just tender and rinse cold to stop cooking.
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.5 Salt and pepper to taste Season in the dressing; add more after chilling if needed.
Vegetables and mix-ins
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup cucumber, diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 0.5 cup celery, diced
  • 0.5 cup shredded carrots

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 large pot

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook rotini or bow-tie pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water to cool it fast.
  2. Spread the rinsed pasta on a sheet pan in an even layer so it cools completely and doesn’t clump.
Make the creamy dressing
  1. Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper together until smooth and thick.
Assemble and chill
  1. Add cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, celery, and shredded carrots to the large bowl with the dressing.
  2. Toss until every piece of pasta and vegetables are well coated in the creamy white dressing.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the flavors meld and the dressing thickens slightly.
Finish before serving
  1. Toss again before serving and adjust seasonings with more salt and pepper if needed.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the pasta with cold water and fully cool it before mixing so the dressing stays creamy instead of runny. Refrigerate in a sealed container up to 3 days; stir before serving. Freezing isn’t recommended because mayo/sour cream dressing can separate. For a lighter option, swap mayonnaise with an equal amount of light mayo to reduce calories while keeping the tangy flavor.