Nothing says Summer like fresh veggies, bbq cookouts, and eating outside. There’s just something about warm weather and tasty food that makes you feel good. One of my favorite things to make on a hot summer day or when I’m craving a dose of sunshine in the dead of winter is my easy tri-colored rotini pasta salad recipe.
It’s filled with fresh and crisp veggies, rich blocks of cheese, savory pepperoni, and best of all, it requires very little cooking so your house doesn’t get even hotter than it already is!
In fact, the only cooking this easy tri-colored rotini pasta salad recipe requires is boiling the noodles!
When it’s all said and done, this pasta salad is served cold, and each bite is more refreshing than the last.
How To Make My Easy Tri-Colored Rotini Pasta Salad Recipe
Tri-Colored Rotini Pasta Salad Ingredients:
- 1 box of tri-colored rotini
- 1/2 onion
- 1 1/2 – 2 bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)
- 1/2 block of pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 block of colby jack cheese
- 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of pepperoni
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of cucumber (optional)
- 1/8 cup of banana peppers (optional)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of olives (optional)
- 1 bottle of Italian dressing
All of these ingredients can be adjusted to taste. If you think something seems like too much or too little, feel free to modify it to your liking.
Tri-Colored Rotini Pasta Salad Recipe Directions:
1. Whenever I make this dish, I always start out by boiling water with a little bit of salt.
I don’t think the salt is actually necessary, but it’s something my mom always did while I was growing up, so I just carried on the tradition.
2. Once that’s going, just toss in the tri-colored rotini noodles and start chopping the rest of the ingredients.
Just make sure to check on them periodically so you don’t overcook them.
One of my favorite things about this tri-colored rotini pasta salad recipe is how much flavor is packed in one dish!
3. Chop up about a half of an onion and some brightly colored bell pepper.
I like to use red, yellow, orange, and green bell pepper if I have them, but if not, any combination or only one color will do. I usually end up only using two colors because that’s all I seem to keep in the fridge at once, so don’t feel like you need to go out and buy all 4 peppers if you don’t want to.
Once the peppers and onions are chopped up, then move on to the cheese.
4. Cut a half a block of pepper jack cheese and a half a block of colby jack cheese into bite-sized cubes.
If you think that’s too much or not enough cheese, feel free to adjust accordingly. I like cheese, so sometimes I tend to go overboard!
5. Slice cherry tomatoes in half, or in quarters, depending on how big or small you cut the other ingredients.
I typically use about half of the container, which equates to about a half of a cup.
6. Add in about ¼ to ½ cup of pepperoni.
Lately, I’ve been cutting up pre-sliced pepperoni into smaller bites because I’ve noticed the pepperoni seems to stick together in this salad. You can certainly use sliced pepperoni without any further cutting, just know you might get clumps that are all pepperoni.
Another option I’ve been experimenting with is cutting whole pepperoni into bite-sized cubes, just like we do with the cheese. I’ve noticed that it doesn’t seem to stick together in this form, but I almost never have whole sticks of pepperoni in my house, so I tend to stick with just cutting the pre-sliced stuff that I do have.
Variation: Add cucumber, banana peppers, and/or olives.
I love veggies, so I absolutely love adding cucumbers to this easy tri-colored rotini pasta salad recipe. I chop it up into small pieces the same way I do the peppers and onions. I use about ¼ cup of cucumber and I think it adds a little boost of freshness to the pasta salad.
If you like a little bit of zestiness here and there, I would definitely recommend adding some banana peppers to this recipe. Their tanginess stands out and adds another layer to this dish. Just be careful not to over do it. Out of all of the ingredients, this is the one I would add the least amount of because it can quickly over power the whole pasta salad.
You can certainly add in some black olives if you wish. My friends do, and they love it! I personally don’t like olives, and neither does my family, so we opt to keep them out of our pasta salad.
7. Strain the pot of noodles and rinse them with cold water.
Make sure you use a spoon and stir the noodles while the cold water is running on them so you don’t burn your hands. You should do this long enough until the noodles feel completely cool to the touch.
8. Mix everything together in a big bowl and stir in Italian Dressing.
It’s a little surprising how much dressing this easy pasta salad recipe will actually take. I usually use about a half of a bottle on the day I make it, but since I always have leftovers, I end up adding a bit more after the noodles absorb the dressing.
8. Serve and enjoy!
That’s it. It’s that simple! Just boil tri-colored rotini noodles, chop up some veggies, add in some pepperoni, and mix everything together with Italian dressing.
Try this easy tri-colored rotini pasta salad recipe at your next cookout and let me know how you liked it!
- 1 box Tri-Colored Rotini
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 1 1/2 Bell Pepper any color, diced
- 1/2 block Pepper Jack Cheese cubed
- 1/2 block Colby Jack Cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half
- 1/4-1/2 cup Pepperoni
- 1/4-1/2 cup Cucumber (optional)
- 1/8 cup Banana Peppers (optional)
- 1/4-1/2 cup Olives (optional)
- 1 bottle Italian Dressing
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Boil noodles until al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water until noodles are cool to the touch
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Dice onion, peppers, and cucumbers (optional), and cut cheese into cubes
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Slice cherry tomatoes and olives (optional) in half
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Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with Italian dressing
All ingredients can be adjusted to taste. If you think something seems like too much or too little, feel free to modify it to your liking!
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