Made with rotini pasta, fresh veggies and a semi-homemade Caesar Salad dressing, this recipe for Creamy Pasta Salad is perfect on its own for a light dinner.
Be sure to explore the variety of vegetable side dish recipes available for you to add to your weekly meal plan!
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This creamy pasta salad is a family recipe that my sister created many years ago. My mother has made it for years for her senior's group at church.
It also makes a great side dish for the standard grilling recipes that are perfect for summer. When we're hosting large family gatherings, this recipe is always included on our buffet table.
My sister's original recipe calls for a bottle of Caesar Salad Dressing plus one cup of mayonnaise. I have also used a bottle of Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing and while it tastes okay, I prefer to stick to the original idea of making a semi-homemade dressing for this salad.
Looking for more Summer Salad Recipes? Try my Oma Behr's German Cucumber Salad, Greek Cucumber Salad, Potato and Egg Salad or my recipe for Fresh Tomato Salad.
Table of Contents
- Best Bottled Dressing for Pasta Salad
- Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Main Ingredients Needed
- Creamy Pasta Salad Ideas
- Step-by-Step Directions
- Top Tip
- Prepare the Vegetables
- Prepare Salad Dressing
- LOVE this recipe? SAVE it for Later!
- Storage Tips
- Should you rinse pasta for pasta salad?
- More Recipes to Love
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
Best Bottled Dressing for Pasta Salad
For this recipe, I used Ken's Caesar Salad Dressing. The traditional kind, not a creamy dressing. I like to mix mayonnaise together with the bottle of dressing.
By combining the two, you get a different taste than just purchasing traditional creamy Caesar salad dressing. If you want a lighter version of this recipe, try my Sunshine Pasta Salad.
If you're looking for a delicious alternative to the dressing I use, try this recipe for Sour Cream Cheddar Pasta Salad.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
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Main Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
- Rotini pasta
- Green olives; drained
- Black pitted olives; drained
- Grape tomatoes
- Broccoli florets
- Cucumber; diced
- Red onion; sliced thin
- Mozzarella or cheddar cheese
- Chopped basil
- Chopped parsley
- Parmesan cheese
- 1 jar Caesar Salad Dressing
- Mayonnaise
Creamy Pasta Salad Ideas
Here are a few ideas to make this recipe your own:
Feel free to change the type of pasta you use for this recipe. You could use bow tie pasta shapes, which are always a big hit with the kids. Or even tri-color pasta is a nice idea.
Go to your local specialty grocery store and visit the olive bar or even salad bar. Try different combinations of marinated vegetables to add to the salad.
Add chopped pepperoni or even hard salami to the salad.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta per package directions, adding broccoli florets during the last minute of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water, then add to a large bowl while you prepare the remaining vegetables.
Top Tip
Add the broccoli florets to the pasta water about one minute before the noodles are done cooking. That will help soften up the broccoli just enough for the salad.
Prepare the Vegetables
Step 2: Chop the vegetables and cheese into small pieces (cut large grape tomatoes in half). Add the vegetables, cheese, and tomatoes to the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Set aside while you prepare the dressing.
Prepare Salad Dressing
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing and mayonnaise. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables, stirring well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Before serving, sprinkle with basil, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
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Storage Tips
To store leftover creamy pasta salad, transfer it into an airtight container or a covered bowl and promptly refrigerate it within two hours of preparation to maintain freshness and safety.
Consume the pasta salad within 3-4 days for optimal quality, ensuring to give it a quick stir before serving to redistribute the dressing and ingredients evenly.
Should you rinse pasta for pasta salad?
The only time you should rinse pasta is when you are using it for a cold dish like a pasta salad.
More Recipes to Love
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📖 Recipe Card
Creamy Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 6 ounce Farfalle pasta cooked and drained.
- 6 ounce jar green olives drained
- 6 ounce canned black pitted olives drained
- 4 ounce jar pimentos drained
- 16 ounce canned chickpeas drained
- 1 cucumber diced
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese cubed
- ½ red onion sliced thin
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 cup small broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
For the Dressing
- 1 - 16 ounce jar Caesar Salad Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on the top of your stove.
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water about one minute before the pasta is finished cooking.
- Drain everything together and rinse in cold water.
- Then add to a large bowl while you prep the vegetables.
- Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
- Cut up the cheese into small chunks.
- If the grape tomatoes are large, you might want to cut them in half.Add the chopped vegetables, cheese and grape tomatoes on top of the cooked pasta.
- Stir to combine.
- Set aside while you prepare the salad dressing.
- In a small bowl, add the bottle of salad dressing along with the one cup of mayonnaise. Using a whisk, combine until smooth.
- Pour the salad dressing over the pasta and vegetables.
- Stir well to coat the pasta and the vegetables.
- Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.
- Sprinkle the basil, parsley and Parmesan cheese on top right before serving.
Notes
Maria Bonacci says
Thank you for sharing your recipe at the Senior Salon Pit Stop! It looks yummy and I'm excited to be featuring you at Monday’s party. Congrats! Pinned
Hugs,
Maria @ kraftyplanner.com
Lois says
Thank you for visiting and hosting a fun party every week.