Mouthwatering Tri Colored Rotini Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Finding the perfect side dish for summer gatherings and potluck dinners can feel like an uphill battle. You want something that’s crowd-pleasing, easy to transport, and won’t leave you stressed in the kitchen for hours. Plus, it needs to taste just as good sitting on a picnic table as it does fresh from your own dining room.

Thankfully, this tri colored rotini pasta salad with cherry tomatoes hits all the right notes: it’s fresh and satisfying, comes together in under 30 minutes, and works beautifully with whatever vegetables you happen to have in your fridge.

What Kind of Rotini Pasta Should I Use?

For this pasta salad, tri-colored rotini is the classic choice and what gives the dish its name and appealing look. The different colors usually come from spinach (green) and tomato (red) mixed with regular wheat pasta, and they all taste pretty much the same. If you can’t find tri-colored rotini, regular rotini works just fine – the spirals are perfect for holding onto all that dressing and catching the small pieces of vegetables. You can also substitute with other short pasta shapes like penne or fusilli if that’s what you have on hand, though rotini’s corkscrew shape really does grab onto the dressing better than most other pasta types.

Options for Substitutions

This pasta salad is super forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Tri-colored rotini pasta: Regular rotini, penne, or bowtie pasta work just as well. The tri-colored version is mostly for looks, so don’t stress if you only have plain pasta on hand.
• Italian dressing: You can make your own by mixing olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried herbs (like oregano and basil), garlic powder, and a pinch of sugar. Use about 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.
• Mozzarella cheese: Cheddar cubes, feta crumbles, or even provolone work great here. Just keep the pieces bite-sized so they mix well throughout the salad.
• Bell peppers: Use whatever color peppers you have – all red, all green, or mix in yellow and orange. You can also substitute with cucumber for extra crunch.
• Black olives: Green olives, kalamata olives, or a mix of both add great flavor. If you’re not an olive fan, try diced red onion or pickled pepperoncini instead.
• Cherry tomatoes: Regular tomatoes work fine – just dice them up. Grape tomatoes are also a perfect substitute and often easier to find.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake people make with pasta salad is not cooking the rotini long enough – undercooked pasta will be tough and won’t absorb the dressing properly, so make sure to cook it until it’s completely tender, even slightly past al dente.

Another common error is adding the dressing while the pasta is still warm, which causes the oil to separate and creates a greasy mess instead of a well-coated salad.

To get the best flavor, always rinse your cooked pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process, then let it cool completely before mixing in the Italian dressing and other ingredients.

Don’t forget to taste and adjust the seasoning before serving – pasta salads often need extra salt and pepper after chilling, since cold temperatures can dull the flavors.

What to Serve With Tri Colored Rotini Pasta Salad?

This colorful pasta salad is perfect for cookouts and potlucks, and it pairs beautifully with just about any grilled meat you can think of. I love serving it alongside barbecue chicken, grilled burgers, or even some simple grilled sausages since the Italian flavors complement smoky grilled foods so well. It also makes a great side dish for sandwiches – try it with Italian subs, turkey clubs, or even pulled pork sandwiches. Since this pasta salad is pretty hearty on its own with all that cheese and veggies, you really just need something protein-packed to round out the meal.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate: This pasta salad actually gets better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours because all those flavors have time to meld together. Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I always make this the night before a party because it tastes so much better the next day!

Make Ahead: You can prep this pasta salad up to 2 days in advance, which makes it perfect for potlucks and barbecues. Just give it a good stir before serving since the dressing tends to settle at the bottom. Sometimes I add a splash more Italian dressing if it looks a bit dry after sitting.

Serve: This salad is best served chilled, so pull it out of the fridge about 10 minutes before serving to take the chill off. Give it another good toss and taste for seasoning – you might want to add a pinch more salt or pepper after it’s been sitting.

Preparation Time	10-15 minutes
Cooking Time	10-15 minutes
Total Time	20-30 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Easy

Estimated Nutrition

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

• Calories: 6000-7000
• Protein: 120-150 g
• Fat: 300-350 g
• Carbohydrates: 800-900 g

Ingredients

For the pasta:

• 4 lb tri-color rotini noodles
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 64 oz italian-style salad dressing

For the vegetables:

• 40 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 green bell peppers
• 3 red bell peppers
• 36 oz sliced black olives, drained

For the add-ins:

• 32 oz mozzarella cheese, diced

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

• 2 lb tri-color rotini noodles
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add half of the tri-color rotini noodles (about 2 lbs) and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.

Drain the cooked pasta and rinse quickly with cold water to cool it down and prevent sticking.

Step 2: Dress the Pasta

• cooked pasta (from Step 1)
• 32 oz Italian-style salad dressing
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Transfer the cooled pasta from Step 1 to a very large bowl.

Pour half of the Italian-style salad dressing (about 32 oz) over the noodles.

Sprinkle half of the ground black pepper (about 1/2 tsp) on top.

Use a long-handled spoon to stir the pasta and dressing together until evenly coated.

I like to give the pasta a taste at this stage and add a little extra dressing if it looks dry.

Step 3: Add the Vegetables and Cheese

• 20 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1.5 green bell peppers, diced
• 1.5 red bell peppers, diced
• 18 oz sliced black olives, drained
• 16 oz mozzarella cheese, diced

Halve half of the cherry tomatoes (about 20 oz).

Dice half of the green and red bell peppers (about 1.5 each).

Drain half the black olives (about 18 oz).

Dice half the mozzarella cheese (about 16 oz).

Add cherry tomatoes, diced bell peppers, black olives, and mozzarella cheese to the dressed pasta from Step 2.

Stir well so that all ingredients are evenly combined.

Step 4: Repeat for the Second Batch

• 2 lb tri-color rotini noodles
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 32 oz Italian-style salad dressing
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 20 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1.5 green bell peppers, diced
• 1.5 red bell peppers, diced
• 18 oz sliced black olives, drained
• 16 oz mozzarella cheese, diced

Repeat Steps 1–3 with the remaining pasta, salt, salad dressing, black pepper, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, black olives, and mozzarella cheese.

This ensures both batches are well-mixed and easy to handle since the full recipe is very large.

Step 5: Chill and Store

Divide the finished pasta salad evenly into two or more large foil pans.

Cover each pan tightly with foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pasta salad tastes even better after chilling for a few hours.

I find that an overnight rest really lets the flavors come together.