As the weather warms up for summer, pasta salad is a dish that I always want to make. It’s the perfect picnic food, lunch, or side dish. I love to make a big dish so that we have leftovers. Pasta salad is a dish that just gets better the longer it sits, but it wont last long! I’m going to share my recipe for a delicious and colorful pasta salad that is sure to be a crowd favorite. My version incorporates vibrant ingredients like cucumber, tomato, shredded cheese, black olives, sliced ham, and zesty Italian dressing. Since pasta salad is such a versatile dish, you can change it up and use your favorite ingredients to suit your tastes.
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 1 box of Rotini pasta
- 1 medium-sized cucumber, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or colby jack)
- ½ cup black olives, sliced
- ½ cup sliced ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- Salt and pepper
This recipe comes together really easily. Click here to watch the visual recipe on YouTube.
Tips and Notes
So, let’s be real for a minute. When it comes to making pasta salad, I’m usually making a big batch, and I usually want it done quickly. That means pre-sliced olives, and pre-shredded cheese. I usually like to shred my own cheese for recipes, but this isn’t a super cheese-forward recipe, so we’re fine using the bagged stuff.
Tip 2 – Slicing a bunch of tiny tomatoes can be difficult and time consuming. Not what we’re going for here. I’ve been using a trick where I use two lids to stabilize the tomatoes so that I can easily cut 10 or more at a time. I’ll definitely have to make a quick post about it to share. It’s the simplest thing but makes a big difference.
Last one – and this is actually top secret because I may or may not have stolen this from my brother. For the dressing, mix Olive Garden dressing with a zesty Italian dressing. It’s the perfect blend that takes the flavors of this pasta salad to the next level. Just don’t tell him I told you.
Easy Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box rotini pasta
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup shredded cheese cheddar or colby jack
- 1/2 cup ham sliced
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Rotini pasta according to the package instructions. Make sure to cook it al dente, since it will continue to soften slightly when combined with the other ingredients. Once cooked, drain and set it aside to cool.
- Prep the Ingredients: While the pasta is cooling, prepare the vegetables. Dice the cucumber into small cubes and halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the ham into bite sized pieces.
- Combine the Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled Rotini pasta, diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, sliced black olives, and sliced ham. Toss the ingredients gently to distribute them evenly throughout the pasta salad.
- Add Flavor with Italian Dressing: Drizzle the Italian dressing over the pasta salad. Start with a small amount and gradually add more according to your taste preference.
- Season and Chill: Add salt and pepper to taste, then let the pasta salad chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Overnight is even better if you have the time!
Notes
Looking for another quick and easy recipe? Try my One Pan Jambalaya for an easy weeknight meal.
