Description
A classic, crowd-pleasing easy pasta salad loaded with colorful vegetables, tender pasta, and a creamy, tangy dressing. Perfect for potlucks, barbecues, picnics, and meal prep. This cold pasta salad keeps well in the refrigerator and actually tastes better the next day as the flavors meld together.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound rotini pasta (or penne, bow tie)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large English cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- ½ red onion, finely diced (soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then drained)
- 1½ cups cubed cheddar cheese (or feta, mozzarella)
- ½ cup sliced black olives (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
For the Creamy Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise (full-fat recommended)
- ½ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente, typically 8-10 minutes. You want the pasta slightly firm because it will continue to soften as it absorbs the dressing. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta completely. Shake off excess water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Prepare the vegetables: While the pasta is cooking, prep all your vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and bell peppers into bite-sized pieces, and finely dice the red onion. Place the diced onion in a small bowl of ice water and let it soak for 10 minutes to remove some of its sharpness—this prevents the salad from tasting too onion-forward. Drain the onion well before adding to the salad.
- Make the dressing: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed—you want a good balance of creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet flavors. The dressing should be pourable but not runny.
- Combine everything: Add all the prepared vegetables to the bowl with the cooled pasta. Add the cubed cheese, black olives (if using), and chopped fresh herbs. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables.
- Toss thoroughly: Using a large spoon or spatula, gently but thoroughly toss everything together until every piece of pasta and vegetable is coated with dressing. Be patient with this step—it takes a few minutes of tossing to ensure even distribution. You want to see dressing clinging to all the pasta spirals.
- Chill and let flavors develop: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, though overnight is even better. The chilling time allows the pasta to absorb the dressing and all the flavors to meld together beautifully.
- Serve: Before serving, give the pasta salad a good stir as some dressing may have settled to the bottom. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed—you might want to add more salt, pepper, or a splash of vinegar to brighten the flavors. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with additional fresh herbs if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Pasta water: Salting your pasta cooking water generously (it should taste like the ocean) ensures well-seasoned pasta that doesn’t taste bland even under all that dressing.
- Don’t skip rinsing: Rinsing the cooked pasta is essential to remove excess starch that would make the salad gummy and prevent the dressing from adhering properly.
- Dressing consistency: If the salad seems dry after chilling, stir in an extra tablespoon or two of mayo or sour cream. Pasta absorbs dressing as it sits.
- Make it ahead: This salad is best made at least 4 hours ahead, or even the night before. The flavors improve dramatically with time.
- Serving temperature: Remove from refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving to take the chill off—the flavors are more pronounced at cool room temperature rather than ice cold.
- Leftovers: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The vegetables will soften slightly over time but it remains delicious.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approximately)
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 345mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 22mg