Tri Color Pasta Salad (VIDEO)

This Tri Color Pasta Salad Recipe is a perfect side dish or full meal that is full of vegetables and bright flavors! Follow our easy recipe for a perfect dish.

I’m a sucker for any kind of pasta salad, which is why I also love this Pesto Pasta Salad (video) and Chicken Pasta Salad.

Recipe Details

This Tri Color Pasta Salad is one of my favorites because it is both simple and full of flavor. A ready-made salad dressing gives it robust flavor without making you a slave in the kitchen for too long.

• TASTE: This Tri Color Pasta Salad has so much flavor. Sweet peppers and tomatoes, pungent onion, salty olives, and tangy dressing make it taste delicious.
• TEXTURE: The vegetables give this pasta salad lots of different textures, from crunchy to juicy to tender. Every bite of this dish is scrumptious.
• TIME: It takes 20 minutes for this recipe.
• EASE: This is so easy to make and is really easy to meal prep. If you have the right ingredients on hand, you can whip this up in no time.

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Tri-color rotini– We love to use tri-color rotini, but any bite-sized pasta will do.
• Red bell pepper- This adds some sweetness and a nice crunch.
• Red onion- This ingredient has strong flavor that goes great with the others and is nice and crisp.
• Cherry tomatoes- These are sweet and juicy.
• Baby bella mushrooms- These mushrooms have a meaty texture and an earthy flavor that’s great in this pasta salad.
• Black olives– For a pop of salty, briny flavor.
• Italian dressing– This dressing adds great tangy flavor.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Substitute another pasta- Besides the tri color rotini, you can also make this salad with elbow macaroni, farfalle, or penne.
• Add cheese- Try this with some feta cheese, bleu cheese, mozzarella cheese, or cheddar cheese.
• Substitute other vegetables- You can make this Tri Color Pasta Salad with other veggies, such as broccoli, green olives, roasted red peppers, or banana peppers for some heat.
• Use another dressing- You can make your own homemade dressing, use store-bought, or try this Greek Salad Dressing or Easy Cilantro Lime Dressing.

How to Make Tri Color Pasta Salad

• Prepare the vegetable. Slice up the mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onion, and pepper.
• Prepare your pasta. Make your rotini according to the package directions or al dente.
• Mix all ingredients together. Here is where you toss everything into a large bowl and mix in the dressing. Chill before serving.

Pro Tip: Prep the vegetables while the pasta cooks so they are ready to add when the pasta is done.

Recipe Tips

• Use smaller tomatoes- I recommend using small tomatoes, like cherry or grape tomatoes, instead of the larger ones because they can get mushy.
• Cut the vegetables to a uniform size- To keep any one vegetable from overpowering the dish, make sure to chop the veggies to a similar size.
• Cook the pasta al dente- Make sure to cook the pasta al dente so that it is just firm enough not to break apart when mixed with the veggies.
• Chill the pasta- This pasta tastes best chilled, so place it in the refrigerator covered for half an hour or so before serving.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This Tri Color Pasta Salad is great with other salads, sides, and main courses. It’s the perfect dish to bring to backyard barbecues and get-togethers.

• Meats/Seafood: Serve this salad with some BBQ Chicken Wings, Cedar Plank Salmon, Smoked Chicken Thighs, or Barbecue Pork Ribs.
• Salads: Pair this pasta salad with some Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad, Pesto Pasta Salad (VIDEO), Chicken Salad With Grapes, or Cucumber Radish Salad.
• Sides: Enjoy this Tri Color Pasta Salad with some Air Fryer Corn on the Cob, Eggplant Appetizers (Roll-ups), Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, or Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower.
• Sandwiches: Serve this alongside Chipotle Burgers with Avocado Sauce, Brisket Sandwiches, Caprese Sandwiches, or Classic BLT Sandwiches.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: Since this pasta salad stores so well and needs to chill before serving, make it a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge until serving time.

Storing: Store this Tri Color Pasta Salad in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After that, the pasta starts to become mushy.

Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this salad because the vegetables will thaw soft and mushy, losing their delicious crunch.

More Delicious Pasta Dishes!

Full Recipe Instructions

Tri Color Pasta Salad

Tri Color Pasta Salad Recipe is a perfect side dish or full meal that is full of vegetables and bright flavors! Follow our easy recipe for a perfect dish.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 512kcal

Instructions

• Cook the tri-color rotini according to the package making sure to salt the water well. Once the pasta is cooked, pour it into a colander and rinse the pasta with cold water to stop it from cooking further. After all the water is drained, place the pasta into a large bowl.
• Chop the bell pepper and red onion, then slice the tomatoes, and mushrooms.
• Add the chopped vegetables and sliced olives to the pasta and mix just to combine.
• Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta and stir well. It might seem like a lot of dressing at first, but the pasta will absorb a lot of it. Serve chilled.

Notes

 

• • Use smaller tomatoes- I recommend using small tomatoes, like cherry or grape tomatoes, instead of the larger ones because they can get mushy.

 

• • Cut the vegetables to a uniform size- To keep any one vegetable from overpowering the dish, make sure to chop the veggies to a similar size.

 

• • Cook the pasta al dente- Make sure to cook the pasta al dente so that it is just firm enough not to break apart when mixed with the veggies.

 

• • Chill the pasta- This pasta tastes best chilled, so place it in the refrigerator covered for half an hour or so before serving.

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1395mg | Potassium: 383mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 28.5mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1.4mg

This recipe was originally posted  March 19, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. 

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!