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Home » Recipe Type » Pasta
5 from 42 reviews

Tri Color Italian Pasta Salad

20 minutes
basilceleryoreganotomato
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:12/29/20
Updated:4/15/25
Jump to Recipe

Easy recipe for the best Tri Color Italian Pasta Salad. This fresh tasting meal only takes 20 minutes to put together from start to finish.

tri color pasta salad with cheese, tomatoes and olives in white bowl

The Best Italian Pasta Salad

We absolutely love this Italian Pasta Salad. It’s perfect for quick weeknight meals, but also a favorite for Summer picnics in the park. Unlike some pasta salads that call for meat, this is vegetarian as we prefer the simplicity with just vegetables and pasta.

This pasta salad only takes 20 minutes worth of prep and then you chill it. Looking for more recipes to complete your Summer picnic spread? Check out my Red Pickled Onions and Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs next!

This is one of my favorite recipes to make for park picnics around the city. My tip for keeping it cold is to make it a few hours ahead (or overnight) and chill it thoroughly in the fridge. For transporting I use a soft insulated bag with ice packs or frozen water bottles to keep it cool.

Which pasta is best for pasta salad?

You want to use a pasta shape that has lots of nooks and crannies to make sure the Italian dressing and herbs get into every little bit. Pasta like rotini, penne, fusilli, and farfalle are perfect for pasta salad.

tri color rotini being drained into white bowl

Can I make pasta salad the night before?

Absolutely! I actually think pasta salad tastes better when prepared the night before. Tip: right before serving it add a tablespoon (or 2) of salad dressing to freshen it up

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad

Prep: Cook pasta according to box. Drain and place in large serving bowl. Chop up celery and half tomatoes.

Mix: Add salad dressing, celery, tomatoes, olives, basil and oregano to the bowl and mix. Add shredded cheese and mix again.

And because I know some people don’t like olives, you can totally skip them if you want.

Chill and Serve: Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator, for at least 1 hour. Serve and enjoy!

fork mixing pasta in white bowl with cherry tomatoes, olives and herbs

How long does pasta salad last for?

Keep any leftover pasta salad in a covered container in the fridge. Leftovers will last 5 days, making perfect lunch and dinner meals!

Pin for later:

Easy recipe for the best Tri Color Italian Pasta Salad.  This fresh tasting meal only takes 20 minutes to put together from start to finish.

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4.96 from 42 reviews

Tri Color Italian Pasta Salad

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Easy recipe for the best Tri Color Italian Pasta Salad. This meal is full of fresh vegetables and only takes 20 minutes to put together from start to finish.
By: Pamela Reed
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 20 minutes minutes
serves 8

Ingredients

  • 12 oz box tri color rotini pasta
  • 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
  • 3 stalks of celery finely chopped
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

  • Prepare your pasta as directed on box. Drain and place pasta in a big serving bowl.
  • Add salad dressing, celery, tomatoes, olives, basil and oregano. Stir to fully combine. Add mozzarella cheese on top and mix again.
  • Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill (at least an hour, can be overnight).
  • Remove from refrigerator and stir to freshen up. If salad looks a little dry (especially if you let it sit overnight), add a tablespoon (or 2) of salad dressing and stir. Serve and enjoy!

Video:

Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: tri color italian pasta salad
Vegetarian Summer
Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

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4.96 from 42 votes (39 ratings without comment)

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  1. Joe Barranco says

    May 22, 2025 at 1:04 pm

    I would use a combination of cheeses as mozzarella doesn’t have much taste alone.

    Reply
    • Pamela Reed says

      May 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm

      I’m a big fan of mozzarella in this pasta salad – its mildness is exactly what I love about it! But that’s the beauty of cooking: you get to make it your way. I appreciate you sharing your spin!

      Reply
  2. christine Gardner says

    September 11, 2024 at 12:06 am

    would you consider including the amount the recipe makes, i.e., serves 6, serves 8, etc., thank you for your recipes.

    Reply
    • Pamela Reed says

      September 11, 2024 at 8:57 pm

      Hey Christine, serving size is already listed in all the recipe cards! This one is 8 servings. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  3. Aim says

    August 13, 2024 at 10:38 pm

    Hi there, looking forward in making this soon. Thank you so much for sharing. Quick question….do you think cube mozzarella cheese would work in this too or stick to shredded? Thank you so much for your time and help towards this matter!!

    Respectfully yours,

    Aim

    Reply
    • Pamela Reed says

      August 14, 2024 at 9:18 am

      Hey Aim, you can absolutely use cubed mozzarella cheese instead! Hope this helps!

      Reply
  4. Sue. McKnight says

    July 1, 2024 at 8:55 pm

    This is so much better than potato salad (my opinion only). And, for me this is a great way use garden produce… I added a little green & red peppers, a little red onion & some crunchy cucumber in addition to the tomatoes & celery. Yum. Soooo good..

    Reply
  5. Lynda Ford says

    September 8, 2022 at 1:54 am

    This is one of my grandson’s favorite, anytime salad. I love it also!

    Reply
  6. Pat P says

    July 2, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    I love making this , but I add mini seedless cucumbers , mini sweet multi color peppers & I use McCormicks Salad Supreme Seasoning Mix instead of the seasoning you use , gives it a great flavor !

    Reply
  7. Linda says

    May 30, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    I love pasta salads, but I can be picky too. With this salad I don’t like olives so I omitted them. I added sliced mini cucumbers, a few extra tomatoes, Olive Garden Italian salad dressing and rather than feta cheese. It was so good!

    Reply
  8. Felicua says

    July 25, 2019 at 3:14 pm

    Can I add Cucumber to this great Pasta Salad?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 25, 2019 at 3:15 pm

      You sure can! Enjoy the salad! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Rachel Page says

    June 4, 2015 at 9:06 am

    Just made this for lunch, so yummy!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 4, 2015 at 9:35 am

      High 5 Rachel!

      Reply
  10. M-T says

    June 24, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    Just wanted you to know that I linked your delicious pasta recipe to my latest blog post on “The Perfect Picnic” http://thefrenchtouch-m-t.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-perfect-picnic.html

    Can’t wait to try the recipe.

    Cheers, M-T

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 24, 2014 at 6:11 pm

      Thanks so much M-T!

      Reply
  11. Julia \ says

    May 23, 2013 at 4:11 pm

    I love pasta salads–they are easy to make and such a great option for busy days or to bring to a picnic! Love it!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 23, 2013 at 7:05 pm

      Love how quick and easy it is to make!

      Reply
  12. JW_Umbrella Treasury says

    May 23, 2013 at 6:22 am

    I love pasta salad! It’s always felt like a special occasion food to me. Even though it’s super simple to make, it wasn’t in my mom’s recipe rotation when I was growing up. The only time I had pasta salad as a child was at someone else’s house (ie, barbeques, etc), so I thought of it as a treat.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 23, 2013 at 7:05 pm

      That’s a great special way to think of it! It brings back alot of family memories for me at summer gatherings.

      Reply
  13. ashley - baker by nature says

    May 22, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    I JUST made pasta salad last night, but it’s all gone now, and this post has me wanting MORE!!! Looks so fresh and tasty.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 22, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      MMMM, I think I will be making more this weekend!

      Reply
  14. miss messy says

    May 22, 2013 at 5:01 am

    Looks delicious. The weather here is dull to. I would love some of this comforting food! 🙂

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 22, 2013 at 7:37 pm

      It went from dull to too hot… this still makes a great food for those sunny summer afternoons!

      Reply
  15. Sarah@The View From the Table says

    May 21, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    Blimey I forgot how great pasta salad is. I like it with all the above and some sweetcorn kernels too. Raining here too by the way..

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 21, 2013 at 5:06 pm

      Oh my, love the crunch of the kernels. What a great idea, thanks!

      Reply
  16. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says

    May 21, 2013 at 2:03 pm

    What a pretty pasta salad! And packed with flavors too I imagine. Great dish for those nights when you don’t want to put too much heat in the house. Lovely post Pamela.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 21, 2013 at 5:05 pm

      Thanks Anne! It’s such a easy meal for a large group of people and packs such a delicious punch!

      Reply
  17. Pam says

    May 21, 2013 at 10:58 am

    It looks wonderful! I may have to make this for lunch with my leftover pasta.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 21, 2013 at 5:03 pm

      That would be a yummy lunch!

      Reply
  18. Kristi @ lifesprinkles says

    May 20, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    Pasta salad reminds me of vet school! My roommate and I would always make a tortellini pasta salad the night before a big test – we called it our ‘good luck tortellini salad.’ 🙂

    I would totally set weather alerts if the weather in Arizona actually changed often enough. I’ll send some warmth and sunny thoughts your way!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 20, 2013 at 10:49 pm

      I love that, hope it brought you both good luck! Thanks for the sunny thoughts! 🙂

      Reply
  19. Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says

    May 20, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Your pasta salad looks totally delicious, I love that it has mozzarella and black olives in too. I always end up eating other people’s left over olives as well, they definitely seem to be a love or hate food and I fall into the love category!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 20, 2013 at 6:08 pm

      Hahaha, I know the feeling. Bring all the leftover olives to me! 🙂

      Reply
  20. Sophie33 says

    May 20, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    It is the same weather over here, in Mechelen, Belgium! 🙁
    I love making easy yet tasty pasta salads like this one, on weekdays, with whatever is lying in the fridge & pantry. We make a similar recipe like this when it is BBQ time over here! Yours looks very appetizing too!

    I prefer to use fresh Buffalo mozerella for added creaminess & flavour! 😉

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 20, 2013 at 6:07 pm

      MMMMM – that sounds delicious!

      Reply
  21. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says

    May 20, 2013 at 9:11 am

    Pasta salad is my favorite summer dinner! Your photos are absolutely gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 20, 2013 at 6:05 pm

      Thanks Dorothy! I love it too!

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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