Tri-Color Pasta Salad

By Becky Hardin

Updated Jun 26, 2025

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This Tri-Color Pasta Salad with fresh mozzarella is my go to for BBQ’s, game days, family gatherings and pretty much any time I need to quickly whip up something satisfying and delicious! Fresh veggies, cheese, and rotini—covered with your favorite zesty Italian dressing. It’ll please vegetarians and omnivores alike!

Easy Tricolor Pasta Salad

With only 6 ingredients, this salad comes together in just 10 minutes and is super satisfying! It’s amazing to see how a handful of simple ingredients create something so yummy.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this pasta salad with Italian dressing is the best combination and makes a delicious quick meal. Tender rotini pasta is tossed with tomatoes and bell peppers, then loaded with diced mozzarella. Coat it all with your favorite Italian dressing and it is so good!

Add any of your favorite veggies—nuts, seeds, corn, artichokes, garbanzo beans, meats, and more.

Tips for Beginners

• I recommend rinsing pasta after cooking it. This helps rinse off any excess starch, and it stops the pasta from overcooking, allowing it to cool much faster.
• Pasta easily absorbs liquids, so it’s best to toss the warm pasta with only ⅔ of the dressing, as if too much is absorbed, the pasta will be dry. Toss the cooled pasta salad with the remaining ⅓ of the dressing just before serving.
• Start seasoning early and often. Boil the pasta in generously salted water and taste as you go to make sure the pasta isn’t being over or under seasoned.

Recipe Card

Tricolor Pasta Salad Recipe

4.80 from 10 votes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Chill Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Author: Becky Hardin

Print Rate Pin

If you're looking for an easy and flavorful meal, try this Tricolor Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing! Bursting with veggies, cheese, colorful rotini, and tangy Italian Dressing, this cold pasta salad is just as delicious as it looks.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 16 oz. tricolor pasta 1 box, cooked according to instructions, penne, farfalle, fusilli, cavatappi, and rotini are also work
• ▢ 16 oz. Italian dressing 1 bottle
• ▢ 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
• ▢ 16 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese 1 container, diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper diced
• ▢ ½ tsp kosher salt
• ▢ ½ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions 

• Place all ingredients into a large bowl.
  16 oz. tricolor pasta, 16 oz. Italian dressing, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 16 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, ½ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper
• Toss until well combined.
• Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Stir, serve cold, and enjoy.

Calories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 14gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 715mgPotassium: 238mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 738IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 209mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

How to Make Tricolor Pasta Salad Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: Gather everything together and boil 16 oz. of tricolor pasta per package instructions. Cook until al dente. Drain the water and transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

Combine & chill: Into the same bowl add 16 oz. of Italian dressing, 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, 16 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 diced green bell pepper, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Combine well and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Serve and enjoy: Enjoy straight from the fridge and enjoy.

How to Store

This is a wonderful vegetable pasta salad to make ahead of time. I actually prefer it the next day when the salad dressing has had time to mingle with the other ingredients. If you’re worried about the salad becoming dry, reserve a little of the dressing to toss with it the next day, just before serving. 

Any leftover pasta salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Just transfer into an airtight container and store.

Serving Suggestions

This hearty veggie pasta salad makes a great side or even main dish. Though, I’ll often add protein to make it a more filling meal. My favorite options are crockpot honey garlic chicken or oven fried chicken breast. Though sometimes I’ll toss in baked BBQ chicken or crockpot Hawaiian ribs.

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