Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is a flavor-packed pasta side dish that's the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy. Unlike traditional pasta salads loaded with salami or olives, this recipe keeps things light with crisp carrots, celery, onion and Parmesan cheese. Everything is tossed in tangy Italian dressing. It's a simple, make-ahead pasta salad that's perfect for picnics, BBQs or weeknight dinners.
Jump to:
Note: Some of the links in this recipe post are Amazon affiliate links, which means I make a small commission from Amazon if you link to and purchase the item. The affiliate process never affects your cost and I only link to products that I use and highly recommend.
⭐Why Melinda Loves Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
It's a family recipe (Thank you Auntie Maureen!) that's easy to make with bottled Italian salad dressing and sour cream, but the flavor combination is unique and delicious!
Fresh veggies give the salad just the right amount of "crunch."
Just like Easy Franks and Beans it's a recipe perfect for picnics, office parties, potlucks or barbecues. It's the kind of pasta salad you'd expect from a fancy sandwich shop or favorite deli.
🥕Ingredients to Have on Hand
Pasta: Use a short, small or medium-sized pasta with plenty of folds or bends, allowing the salad dressing to cling to it. Shells or elbow macaroni are great! Flat pasta noodles or spaghetti noodles won't work.
Italian Salad Dressing: If there's a variety or brand of Italian salad dressing that you enjoy tossing in green salads, that same brand will be fine with the pasta salad. I've made this many times using different dressings but I'm a big fan of (affiliate link) Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing and recommend using it in this recipe.
Everything Bagel Seasoning: Here's the secret ingredient in this pasta salad! (Affiliate link) Everything Bagel Seasoning adds just the right blend of seasoning and spices. You can use regular or a salt-free version. Scroll down to "Substitutions" for those details. I always keep this seasoning on hand, it's delicious in breading for Buttermilk Chicken Tenders and as a major flavor in Everything Bagel Hummus.
Parmesan Cheese: This sharp, tangy cheese is the perfect partner to Italian salad dressing and chewy pasta.
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🍽 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box or bag.
Step 2: Drain the cooked pasta and cool it in the colander over the sink for a few minutes.
⭐Pro Tip
I know it's tempting, but don't rinse the pasta with cool water. Warm or slightly warm pasta absorbs more flavor from the Italian salad dressing. Rinsing cooked pasta with water washes away the starches that are released during cooking and those starches are important in helping to "glue" the dressing (or any sauce) to the pasta.
Step 3: Add the Italian salad dressing to the cooked pasta.
Step 4: Stir to coat all of the pasta with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or ideally, overnight.
⭐Pro Tip
Finely grate or shred the carrot - as opposed to chopping. It keeps the carrot pieces thin and smaller. It also helps the carrot flavor (and color) blend throughout the salad. You'll still get plenty of crunch from the carrot even in that thin, tiny size.
Step 5: While the pasta chills, grate the carrot and cheese and chop the celery and onion.
Step 6: After the pasta and salad dressing have chilled, add the chopped and grated ingredients along with the spices, dried parsley and sour cream. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve.
🧂Substitutions
This is a pasta salad that can easily be adapted to your family's tastes. Here are a few ways you can change it up and with delicious results:
Cheese: Swap Parmesan cheese for the same amount of finely grated Cheddar cheese. This is how my mom and aunt make the recipe!
Seasoning: Everything Bagel Seasoning can be swapped for a salt-free version, such as (affiliate link) Dash Salt Free Everything Bagel Seasoning or change up the seasoning altogether and use Dash Salt Free Seasoning.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Short, small shapes work best, ones that have enough "nooks and crannies" to hold onto the salad dressing and enough stability to let those other ingredients cling to the pasta. I don't recommend flat or spaghetti noodles for pasta salad.
Absolutely! Any brand of Italian dressing will work; use your favorite. If you'd like a tangier flavor, choose zesty Italian or keep it mild with classic Italian. My favorite for this recipe is (affiliate link) Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing.
Store leftovers in a covered, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavors will continue to blend, making it a delicious option for lunch.
🥘 What to Serve with Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is delicious with sandwiches or burgers, or even comforting soups like Creamy Corn and Potato Soup.
It's great with Cheeseburger Sliders made with Hawaiian Rolls, grilled meats, seafood, smoked salmon on the pellet grill, or even served on its own!
It's the ideal pasta side dish any time of year. Share it at your next potluck or family gathering, it's a recipe that everyone always loves because it's a unique flavor combination that's minus the salami and olives found in most pasta salad recipes.
🥣 Leftovers and Storage
Store any leftover pasta salad in a covered bowl or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Stir gently before serving leftovers. The salad is great for lunch during the week!
I don't recommend freezing pasta salad.
🍽 Other Tasty Salad Recipes
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is a family-favorite recipe that I've been making for years! Here are a few more salad recipes for you to enjoy.
If you make Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing I'd love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and a comment below. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Recipe
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
(From Melinda) I remember the first time I made this pasta salad (years ago), the unique flavor and texture had everyone coming back for more! It's one of my favorite side salads and I can't wait for you to try it.