Colorful pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and Italian dressing—chilled, bright, and crowd-friendly.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz (dry) rotini or fusilli
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
04 - 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
07 - 1/2 cup shredded carrots
08 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
→ Dressing & Seasoning
09 - 3/4 cup Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)
10 - Salt, to taste
11 - Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
→ Optional add-ins
12 - 1/2 cup cubed mozzarella
13 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta
14 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
# How To Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the dry rotini or fusilli and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 8–10 minutes.
02 - Drain the pasta in a strainer, rinse thoroughly under cold running water to stop cooking and cool completely; shake off excess water.
03 - While the pasta cools, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and red bell pepper, thinly slice the red onion, slice the olives, shred the carrots and chop the parsley.
04 - Transfer the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl, add the prepared vegetables and chopped parsley, and toss to combine evenly.
05 - Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta and vegetables, toss gently to coat, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
06 - If using cheese, fold in cubed mozzarella, crumbled feta, or grated Parmesan now and toss lightly to distribute.
07 - Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld; serve chilled.
