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Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

If you need a super easy, but ridiculously delicious cold and creamy pasta salad, this recipe is for you! Made simple with Italian salad dressing, mayo, basil and parmesan cheese, this is easy to whip up in no time. Good for vegetarians too!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 498kcal
Author Teri
Cost $8

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces rotini pasta
  • ½ cup Italian salad dressing Ken's Simply Vinaigrette Italian dressing
  • ½ cup mayo
  • ¾ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Cook pasta in salted water (do not over salt!) according to package directions. Cook on shorter recommended time, as you don't want the pasta overcooked or mushy.
  • Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
  • Add pasta to a mixing bowl and add Italian salad dressing. Let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes so the pasta can marinate in the salad dressing. This will help the Italian dressing flavor to soak into the pasta.
  • To the pasta, add the mayo, dried basil, parmesan cheese and sea salt.
  • Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
  • Chill in the refrigerator and serve when cold.

Notes

    • Try different types of pasta to change things up! Try bowtie pasta, macaroni, penne rigate, radiatori, or even tortellini.
    • This recipe is vegetarian as is, but you can make this vegan by using vegan mayo and vegan parmesan cheese.
    • I like to throw in some capers sometimes for a change. Capers are one of my obsessions. This informative guide on capers can tell you everything you would even want to know about capers.
    • This pasta salad is easy to make ahead. Make the day before and store covered in the refrigerator until it's time to be served. If you do make it ahead, sometimes the mayo soaks into the pasta. Just add a spoonful or two of mayo and mix it up to give it a creamy refresh. You are good to go!
    • If you have leftovers, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should last for about three to four days (if it's not all eaten by then!) sealed in the fridge.
    • Although this pasta salad is cold, it does not freeze well. I do not recommend it.
    • How far in advance can I make this pasta salad? Two days would be the most I would do, although one day is better. The mayo will tend to soak into the pasta and it just doesn't taste as fresh the longer it sits. It's at it's very best if made the same day in my opinion though.
    • How long can the pasta salad sit out? Since there is mayo, I wouldn't let it sit out longer than it needs to be. After everyone is done eating, I like to put this away in the refrigerator to ensure it is kept at a safe temperature and is still good to eat at a later time. You don't want to risk giving your guests food poisoning!

Nutrition

Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 873mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 84IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg