By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Sugar Spun Run.
Pasta salad is the easiest thing to bring to a potluck because you make it ahead, it feeds a crowd, and it only gets better while it sits. The whole thing comes together in one bowl.
The base is twelve ounces of rotini. Those spirals grab the dressing and hold a bit of everything in each bite, which is why they beat a smooth pasta here. From there it is cherry tomatoes, red and green pepper, red onion, cucumber, feta, banana peppers, and parsley, bound with a cup of Italian dressing.
One thing to know going in: the pasta drinks up dressing as it chills. If you make it the day before, keep a little extra dressing on hand to loosen it up before serving.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and salt it well. Add twelve ounces of rotini and cook for about seven minutes, or until the box says al dente. Stir now and then so nothing sticks.
Tri-colored rotini is the move here. The spirals hold onto dressing, so every bite carries flavor.
Tip
Salt the water like you mean it. It is the only chance to season the pasta itself, and unseasoned noodles make the whole salad taste flat.
Drain the pasta well, then run it under cold water right away. That stops the cooking so it does not turn mushy while it waits.
Tip it into a large bowl and toss with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Just a little keeps the noodles loose and separate while you prep everything else.
Add a cup of halved or quartered cherry tomatoes to the bowl. Then add half a red pepper and half a green pepper, both diced. Using half of each gives you color and a slightly sharper bite than one pepper alone.
No rule says you have to split the peppers. A whole red or a whole green works fine if you would rather not save half.
Add half a cup of diced red onion. Red onion has the flavor that meshes best with everything else, though any onion you have on hand will do.
Then add half a cup of feta and half a cup of cucumber, quartered and sliced thin. Cutting the cucumber small helps it spread through every scoop instead of clumping.
Tip
Not a feta person? Small mozzarella pearls work well here too. Halve them so they distribute evenly.
Add a quarter cup of sliced banana peppers. They bring a little zip and tang that makes the whole bowl more interesting, so nudge the amount up if you like that kind of thing.
Finish with two tablespoons of fresh parsley for a clean, herby note.
Pour in a cup of Italian dressing and toss until everything is coated. Homemade Italian dressing is worth it if you have a few minutes, but a good bottled one works too.
It should smell amazing right about now. Give it a thorough mix so the dressing reaches the bottom of the bowl.
Tip
The pasta absorbs dressing as it sits. If you are serving the next day, hold back a splash to stir in right before it goes out.
Cover the bowl and chill for at least thirty minutes. That rest is where the flavors come together, so do not skip it. A couple of hours is even better and it will not dry out.
Right before serving, give it one more good stir to spread the dressing and flavor evenly. Then set it out and watch it disappear.
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Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.Why rinse the cooked rotini under cold water?
Answer: It stops the cooking so the pasta does not get mushy
Cold water halts the carryover cooking so the pasta stays firm while it waits.
2.Why salt the pasta water well?
Answer: It is the only chance to season the pasta itself
Unseasoned noodles taste flat, and the boiling water is the one moment to season them.
3.After draining, you toss the pasta with a teaspoon of olive oil. Why?
Answer: It keeps the noodles loose and separate
A little oil stops the drained noodles from clumping while you prep everything else.
4.The recipe calls for rotini specifically because...
Answer: its spirals hold onto the dressing
The spirals grab and hold dressing so every bite carries flavor.
5.You are making the salad to serve the next day. What does the tutorial suggest?
Answer: Hold back a splash of dressing to add before serving
Pasta keeps absorbing dressing as it sits, so reserve a little to freshen it up before serving.
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