The Only Pasta Salad I Bring to Cookouts (Everyone Wants It)

Packed with crunchy veggies and tossed in a zesty dressing, this pasta salad recipe is a must-try! It’s perfect for making in advance and is easily customized.

Recipe: https://sugarspunrun.com/pasta-salad-recipe/

Ingredients
12 oz rotini pasta (see note)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup halved or quartered cherry tomatoes (185g)
½ red bell pepper, diced (95g/about ⅔ cup)
½ green bell pepper, diced (95g/about ⅔ cup)
½ cup diced red onion (60g)
½ cup Feta cheese (75g)
¼ cup sliced or chopped pepperoncini peppers (37g) (may substitute banana peppers)
½ cup thin-sliced, quartered cucumbers (72g)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup Italian dressing (236ml) see note (https://sugarspunrun.com/Italian-dressing-recipe/)

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Instructions
00:00 Introduction
00:13 Cook pasta to al dente in well-salted water, according to package instructions. Once finished cooking, immediately drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, then add to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and stir well.
01:20 Add cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, Feta cheese, pepperoncini, cucumber, and parsley and toss together to combine.
03:00 Shake Italian dressing and pour evenly over ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are coated with dressing.
03:50 Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (or longer) before serving (helps deepen flavor!).

Notes
Pasta
Rotini is my preference, but feel free to use your favorite shape (fusilli, bowtie, or even penne are good choices)! Gluten-free or whole wheat pasta will be fine here as well. I prefer tri-colored rotini, which is usually sold in 12-oz boxes. If you want to use a full pound of pasta, you can, I’d just recommend adding a splash more dressing (about 2-4 Tbsp more) (I typically do not increase the veggies if using a lb of pasta).
Dressing
A cup of dressing is my preference with this recipe. If you like a really juicy pasta salad, feel free to add up to half a cup more. Note that the pasta will absorb the sauce as it sits, so if you are not serving the salad the same day you would make it I would also recommend adding more sauce (up to half a cup more – sometimes I just double my Italian dressing recipe, use what I need and save the leftovers for my lunchtime salads).
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Always stir before serving.

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