A delicious and easy pasta salad recipe that is perfect for your next summer BBQ, pot-luck or luncheon! The best part is you can use what is in your fridge! Great way to utilize leftover fresh vegetables!
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I am all about fast and easy recipes! I mean who has time to slave away in the kitchen when you have three VERY energetic boys?! Not this lady!
I love that each time I make this I can use up those leftover veggies from other recipes before they go bad! Each time you make this it’s like a new flavor combination explosion!
The key to this salad is the Cheese Fantastico dressing. You can use regular Italian, but man, the Cheese Fantastico is so so good. You can use that link to find a store locator to find it near you! It’s worth it!
Pair Pasta Salad Perfectly
This pasta salad is versatile and can be paired perfectly with my Instant Pot Pulled Pork (slow cooker method here!) and The Best Slow Cooker Chicken Ever (instant pot method here)
Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
Easy Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces tricolor rotini pasta, 1 bag
- 1 ham steak, cubed
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 2.25 ounces sliced black olives, 1 small can
- 1 cup sweet corn (or fresh of the cob)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded
- ½ cup Cheese Fantastico dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When cooked, run under cold water to cool the pasta and stop the cooking process.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. You may want to add more dressing to taste. Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Pin FRESH & EASY PASTA SALAD RECIPE
Comments & Reviews
Sean S Spicer says
Great recipe, and helped me remember my mom’s pasta salad.
My mom made pasta salad all the time with Cheese Fantastico. Tri color rotini was on sale this weekend, so I decided to make some again. This is really a versatile recipe, and perfectly amazing. (Fantiastico is my family’s favorite easy chicken marinade, BTW)
You have corn in your recipe. so I tried it. The salad is still resting, but I liked it so far.
Things my mom’s recipe had that yours doesn’t. Diced red bell peppers and drained capers. The red bell peppers do a lot for visual appeal and crunch, the capers are little umami blasts.
Seriously, Cheryl, thanks for posting this, as it got me right back in the headspace for a pasta salad I haven’t made in five years from a recipe from my mom who passed a decade ago.
I hate the person who is like, “I made this recipe but changed it in these ways… But here’s where mine went today:
For cheese, I used smoked white cheddar and smoked gouda (Yay, Grocery Outlet for cheap stinky cheese!). I had half a jar of pitted kalamata olives, in addition to sliced ripe black olives, so I sliced those and added them.