Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
This whole wheat pasta salad with Italian dressing is a bright & fresh side dish to bring to a cookout, tailgate, potluck, or light lunch! Loaded with crisp veggies, hearty cooked noodles, and a zesty Italian dressing.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 145kcal
Cost: $2
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 16 ounces whole wheat rotini pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes diced
- 1 cup black olives
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup Italian dressing
- 1/4 teaspoon Oregano
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of salted water, and cook rotini al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse noodles under cold water to stop them cooking. Set aside.
- Dice the tomatoes, slice the peppers into fine bite-sized ribbons, slice the olives, and all all veggies to a large bowl. Add the pasta, and dressing - toss to coat. Add a pinch of oregano, and season with Salt and Pepper if needed!
- Crumble cheese on top and plenty of fresh parsley.
- Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This pasta salad is great fresh, but it's even better the next day!
Notes
Variations
- To make a Greek pasta salad, swap out the Italian for a red wine vinegar dressing, and substitute feta cheese for the mozzarella. You can also add artichoke hearts too!
- For a Mediterranean pasta salad, you can add minced garlic cloves, red peppers, goat cheese, and fresh lemon juice.
- And feel free to swap in any vinaigrette dressing (like my easy sweet onion salad dressing) to mix it up!
Nutrition
Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 917IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 1mg