Mouthwatering Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Salad

If you ask me, Olive Garden’s pasta salad is one of those dishes you just can’t stop thinking about after you leave the restaurant.

This copycat recipe brings that same Italian-American flavor right to your kitchen with just a handful of ingredients. Tender rotini gets tossed with crisp romaine, tangy pepperoncinis, and that signature Italian dressing we all know and love.

Fresh parmesan and black olives add a salty punch, while the roma tomatoes and red onion keep things bright and fresh. A sprinkle of oregano ties it all together.

It’s a crowd-pleasing side dish that works for potlucks, barbecues, or just a regular Tuesday night dinner.

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What Kind of Pasta Should I Use?

Tri-color rotini is the classic choice for this Olive Garden copycat recipe, and it’s what gives the salad that familiar look you remember from the restaurant. That said, any bite-size pasta shape will work just fine – penne, bowtie, or even regular rotini are all great options. The most important thing is to cook your pasta al dente (maybe even a touch firmer than usual) since it’ll continue to soften as it sits in the dressing. If you only have regular pasta instead of tri-color, don’t worry about it – the taste will be just as good, even if it doesn’t look quite as colorful.

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Options for Substitutions

This pasta salad is easy to customize based on what you have in your kitchen:

• Tri-color rotini: Any short pasta shape works great here – try penne, fusilli, bow ties, or even elbow macaroni. Regular pasta is fine if you don’t have the tri-color variety.
• Olive Garden Italian dressing: You can use any store-bought Italian dressing you like, or make your own with olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian herbs, and garlic. The Olive Garden brand just gives it that restaurant taste.
• Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan is best, but the pre-shredded kind from the store works too. In a pinch, you could use romano or asiago cheese for a similar sharp, salty flavor.
• Pepperoncini peppers: If you can’t find pepperoncini, banana peppers make a good substitute. You could also use pickled jalapeños if you want more heat, or skip them if you prefer less tang.
• Romaine lettuce: Any crisp lettuce works – iceberg, green leaf, or a spring mix are all good options. Just avoid delicate greens like spinach that might wilt too quickly.
• Roma tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes work well too – just halve them. Regular tomatoes are fine, just remove the seeds so they don’t make the salad watery.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake people make with pasta salad is not rinsing the cooked pasta with cold water, which stops the cooking process and prevents the noodles from turning mushy and clumping together.

Another common error is adding the dressing right before serving – pasta actually absorbs a lot of liquid as it sits, so you’ll want to reserve about 1/2 cup of dressing to toss in right before serving to keep everything fresh and well-coated.

Don’t add the romaine lettuce until you’re ready to serve, as mixing it in too early will cause it to wilt and become soggy from the dressing.

For the best flavor, make sure your pasta is completely cool before mixing in the other ingredients, otherwise the heat will cause the parmesan to clump and the vegetables to soften too much.

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What to Serve With Pasta Salad?

This pasta salad is perfect for bringing to summer cookouts and potlucks since it pairs well with just about any grilled meat. I love serving it alongside grilled chicken breasts, burgers, or Italian sausages hot off the grill. It also makes a great side dish for pizza night – the tangy Italian dressing complements the richness of the pizza really nicely. If you want to turn it into a complete meal on its own, just add some grilled shrimp, cubed mozzarella, or sliced salami right into the bowl.

Storage Instructions

Store: This pasta salad actually gets better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours! Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavors really meld together nicely overnight, making it perfect for potlucks or meal prep.

Make Ahead: I always make this salad at least 2-3 hours before serving, or even the night before. Just hold off on adding the lettuce until right before you’re ready to eat so it doesn’t get wilted. You might need to add a splash more dressing before serving since the pasta soaks it up as it sits.

Serve: Give the salad a good toss before serving since the dressing tends to settle at the bottom. If it seems a bit dry after being in the fridge, just drizzle on a little extra Italian dressing and mix it up.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1250-1400
• Protein: 30-35 g
• Fat: 70-80 g
• Carbohydrates: 130-150 g

Ingredients

For the pasta mixture:

• 8 oz rotini (I prefer Barilla for a perfect al dente texture)
• 1/2 cup parmesan (freshly grated)
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 6 pepperoncinis, sliced
• 1.5 cups Italian dressing (Olive Garden Signature)
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

For the greens:

• 3 cups romaine, chopped

Step 1: Cook and Cool the Pasta

• 8 oz rotini

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini according to package instructions until al dente—this is crucial for the right texture in the final salad.

Drain the pasta thoroughly, then rinse it under cold running water, stirring gently with your hands until completely cooled.

This stops the cooking process and prevents the pasta from becoming mushy when mixed with the dressing.

Step 2: Prepare the Fresh Ingredients

• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 6 pepperoncinis, sliced
• 3 cups romaine, chopped

While the pasta cools, finely dice the red onion, seed and chop the roma tomatoes (removing excess liquid helps prevent the salad from getting watery), slice the pepperoncinis, and chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces.

I like to prep the tomatoes last and pat them dry with paper towels to keep the salad from becoming soggy.

Keep the lettuce separate for now—it will go on top just before chilling.

Step 3: Combine Pasta and Core Ingredients

• cooled pasta from Step 1
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 6 pepperoncinis, sliced
• 1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the diced red onion, chopped tomatoes, sliced pepperoncinis, freshly grated parmesan, black olives, and dried oregano.

Toss everything together gently but thoroughly to distribute the ingredients evenly throughout the pasta.

Step 4: Dress and Layer the Salad

• pasta mixture from Step 3
• 1.5 cups Italian dressing
• 3 cups romaine, chopped

Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta mixture and toss well, making sure the dressing coats everything evenly—this is where the flavors really come together.

Top the dressed pasta with the chopped romaine lettuce, but don’t mix it in yet; I keep it on top so it stays crisp and fresh rather than getting wilted by the dressing.

Step 5: Chill and Finish

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld and the pasta absorb the dressing.

Just before serving, stir everything together well, folding the lettuce into the pasta salad and redistributing all the ingredients and dressing evenly.

Mouthwatering Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Salad

Delicious Mouthwatering Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Calories 1325 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the pasta mixture:

• 8 oz rotini (I prefer Barilla for a perfect al dente texture)
• 1/2 cup parmesan (freshly grated)
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 6 pepperoncinis, sliced
• 1.5 cups Italian dressing (Olive Garden Signature)
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

For the greens:

• 3 cups romaine, chopped

Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini according to package instructions until al dente—this is crucial for the right texture in the final salad. Drain the pasta thoroughly, then rinse it under cold running water, stirring gently with your hands until completely cooled. This stops the cooking process and prevents the pasta from becoming mushy when mixed with the dressing.
• While the pasta cools, finely dice the red onion, seed and chop the roma tomatoes (removing excess liquid helps prevent the salad from getting watery), slice the pepperoncinis, and chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces. I like to prep the tomatoes last and pat them dry with paper towels to keep the salad from becoming soggy. Keep the lettuce separate for now—it will go on top just before chilling.
• Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the diced red onion, chopped tomatoes, sliced pepperoncinis, freshly grated parmesan, black olives, and dried oregano. Toss everything together gently but thoroughly to distribute the ingredients evenly throughout the pasta.
• Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta mixture and toss well, making sure the dressing coats everything evenly—this is where the flavors really come together. Top the dressed pasta with the chopped romaine lettuce, but don't mix it in yet; I keep it on top so it stays crisp and fresh rather than getting wilted by the dressing.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld and the pasta absorb the dressing. Just before serving, stir everything together well, folding the lettuce into the pasta salad and redistributing all the ingredients and dressing evenly.