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creamy pasta salad recipe
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4.72 from 7 votes

The Best Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe

The absolute BEST Creamy Pasta Salad loaded with veggies and tossed in a sweet and tangy dressing. This is the perfect pasta salad for parties and potlucks! It feeds a crowd!
Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: creamy pasta salad
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 304kcal
Author: Steph Loaiza
Cost: $7

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces ditalini pasta (or whatever pasta you have on hand). 1 package
  • 1 cup broccoli florets chopped
  • ½ red onion minced
  • 1 red bell pepper minced
  • 1 cucumber diced
  • 3.8 ounces sliced olives 1 can, drained
  • 1 cup Colby Jack Cheese cubed

Dressing

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Rinse well with cold water until pasta is cold.
  • Place cooked and cooled pasta in a large mixing or serving bowl.
  • Mix in broccoli florets, red onion, red bell pepper, cucumber, sliced olives and cheese.
  • Whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over pasta and other ingredients.
  • Gently fold in dressing until all ingredients are evenly coated.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

  • Rinse your cooked pasta in a colander with cold water until pasta is completely cold. This helps your pasta to not stick together because of the extra starches you are washing away.
  • Be sure to cut your vegetables, especially red onion, very small (more of a mince than a dice) so they aren’t too overpowering in this Creamy Pasta Salad.
  • I love using simple shortcuts when cooking.  I used pre-sliced olives and Colby Jack cheese sticks that I then cut into cubes rather than buying an entire block of cheese.
  • In my opinion, the best part about this Creamy Pasta Salad is the tangy dressing you toss everything in.  My secret to the perfect pasta salad dressing is using Best Foods Mayonnaise. But any dressing will work fine. Best Foods Real Mayonnaise is also rich in Omega 3-ALA and only 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 538mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 641IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 1mg