4 Ingredient Pasta Salad
You're going to LOVE this Easy Pasta Salad recipe ... it's ready in minutes and so delicious!
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Calories: 356kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) rotini pasta (or other pasta shape of choice)
- 1 ½ cups Italian dressing, divided
- 1 pound (454 grams) grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 ounces (114 grams) feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta, then cook until tender.
- Drain pasta well, then transfer to a large bowl. Toss hot pasta with ½ cup Italian dressing. Let cool until warm.
- When pasta has cooled slightly, add tomatoes, feta, and remaining 1 cup salad dressing.
- Season pasta salad generously to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy!
Notes
Servings - This recipe will serve about 8 to 10 people as a side dish (or more depending on what else you are serving), or about 4 to 6 people as a main dish.
Pasta - This recipe can be made with different pasta shapes. Rotini, fusilli, and cavatappi / cellentani are all classics, but you can use other chunky shapes, like penne or shells, too. You can even make this recipe with long noodles (like spaghetti and linguine) and mini pastas (such as orzo).
Variations - I used tomatoes and feta as my two extra ingredients, but the recipe is super flexible, and the sky is your limit! Add chopped or sliced veggies, tender greens, different types of cheese, olives, capers, various proteins, even deli salads, like caprese. You can make this recipe with just 3 ingredients, 5 ingredients, or more ... it's a great way to clear out your cupboards. Check out the Variations section before this recipe card for tons of ideas!
Salad Dressing - Italian Dressing works great with this recipe, but you can other vinaigrettes, like Greek or Balsamic, basil Pesto, or creamy dressings, such as Ranch, Garlic Parmesan, or Caesar. You could even do fresh lemon juice (or vinegar) and olive oil, if you have the ingredients on hand. If you do use a creamy dressing, rinse the pasta with cool water once it's done cooking. Drain well, then add all of the dressing (you may need a little less), plus the other two ingredients at the same time.
Vegan + Dairy Free - Leave out the dairy products (like cheese), and make sure to choose a dressing that's vegan-friendly.
Gluten Free - Use your favorite gluten free pasta (like this GF Rotini or this Chickpea Penne). Keep in mind that GF pasta typically comes in smaller package sizes, so you may end up with fewer servings. Read the labels on the salad dressing and any other packaged foods you use to make sure they're GF, as well (this Italian Dressing is a good option).
More Tips - Make sure to read the info before this recipe card for helpful tips, recipe variations, serving suggestions, and related recipes!
Nutrition
Calories: 356kcal
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