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READY IN 2½ hrs

Easy Cold Pasta Salad

Read Reviews (20)

"Great for brunch, luncheons, or whatever. Easy and quick to make. I find that this salad is always popular at get-togethers and usually disappears rather quickly..." — Minnie K

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Original recipe makes 8 servings Change Servings

14 ounces uncooked rotini pasta
2 cucumbers, chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
3/4 cup pitted black olives, sliced
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing

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Directions

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the rotini, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool by running cold water over the pasta in a colander set in the sink.
Combine cooked and cooled pasta with the cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, and olives in a large bowl. Pour the Italian dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

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PREP 15 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 2 hrs 30 mins

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I don't normally like pasta salad, but after a couple of modifications this was quite pleasant. I took jennifermorse's suggestion of crumbling in some feta, but I'm not a big fan of red onions, so I added about 1.5T of fresh chives instead. Because of the intensity of the chives and feta flavors, I also cut the quantity of Italian salad dressing in half and added just a touch of olive oil. I also substituted penne for the rotini since it was on sale this week, but I'm not sure how much that actually affected the flavor/texture.

—jmbpiano

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 28, 2012

I had leftover fixins from tacos SO I made the tri-color rotini added the chopped onions,tomatoes & finely shredded colby/jack cheese & drizzled on red wine vinegerette dressing.

—Pami

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24 Ratings

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Jun 22, 2009

I love this recipe and have made it for years! I add a little bit of red onion and feta cheese to make it a little more "Greek."

—jennifermorse

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Aug 01, 2011

"Easy" and delicious! This is a very simple salad that comes together quickly but tastes wonderful. It's a great base to throw in whatever you want to make it you own. I used tri-colored pasta and red onion. I also threw in some chopped fresh spinach and roasted red pepper along with some shredded Parmesan cheese. For the dressing I used "Nonna's Tuscan Salad Dressing" from this site. Definitely chill for a couple hours before serving.

—Jillian

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Jun 29, 2009

we had a really bad storm last night and lost power right as I was preparing dinner. The only thing that was done was the angel hair pasta. So I went to the garden and got some cucumbers and tomatoes, fresh basil and thyme and a banana pepper. Mixed up this pasta salad recipe and it was delicious! Thank you!

—aly

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Aug 17, 2009

Very good! I added a cup of parmesan cheese as well, it's quick, easy & very good!

—Adrianne618

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Jul 11, 2011

I used a quarter of a red onion, I used whole wheat rotini, Newman's italian dressing and I added a half cup of Frigo parmesan cheese. This is sitting in the fridge, all ready for dinner. REALLY simple--it took less than 20 minutes to throw together. I've made something like this before so I already know it's going to be good. Salads like this always taste better the longer they sit.

—Sarah Jo

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Sep 18, 2011

I loved this recipe but I changed it up a bit!! I added pepperoni,and red onion, fresh basil, thyme, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. I used grape tomatoes instead of cherry ( the one at the store weren't too pretty :) ) I kind of just threw the herbs and S&P in there I didn't measure em, did it Rachael Ray style LOL!!! But it was so delish I will definatetly make it again!!!!!

—i.writebol

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Nutrition

Calories
297 kcal
15%

Carbohydrates
43.9 g
14%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
10.6 g
16%

Fiber
2.6 g
10%

Protein
7.2 g
14%

Sodium
608 mg
24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Easy Cold Pasta Salad

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 297
Calories from Fat: 96

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10.6g 16 %
Saturated Fat 1.7g 8 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 608mg 24 %
Potassium 255mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 43.9g 14 %
Dietary Fiber 2.6g 10 %
Protein 7.2g 14 %
** Sugars 4.9g
Vitamin A 5 %
Vitamin C 10 %
Calcium 4 %
Iron 25 %
** Thiamin 2 %
Niacin 40 %
Vitamin B6 8 %
Magnesium 13 %
Folate 69 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.