This is my go-to pasta salad. It is easy, it is a crowd-pleaser, can be made ahead, and tastes even better after sitting a day.
I recently served this pasta salad at a pool party we had at my in-laws pool. I recently posted about our tiny backyard, and honestly, the small size is much easier to accept thanks to Grandpa and Grandma’s open door policy to their big beautiful yard, pool and pool house. We are a spoiled bunch for sure! There is even a family pool calendar kept on google calendar where we can reserve the pool for a party, which is just what we did a few days ago.
I kept the menu super simple for the party. We ordered pizza, I made pasta salad, a big pot of lemonade, & freezer peanut butter pie for dessert. It was so nice to just throw the food together and concentrate on my sweet friends instead of food prep!
This Pasta Salad is a no recipe, recipe.
I usually use a pound (16oz box) of pasta, but this time I doubled it. Leftovers are wonderful and last quite a few days in the refrigerator. You can use any veggies you like, I usually use broccoli, tomato, cucumber, peppers. I used to put shredded parmesan cheese in it, but I don’t anymore. You can if you want.
The key to this recipe is the dressing. The secret ingredient is vinegar. I used a whole bottle of Italian dressing for 2 lbs of pasta & lots of veggies. The last salad I made for the party really could have used more dressing, which makes sense since I doubled the recipe. When I use just one pound of pasta, I use ALMOST the whole bottle of dressing. I add the vinegar to taste, usually about 4 tablespoons for 1 pound of pasta. Do it to your own taste.
I usually use red wine vinegar, but this time I used pomegranate vinegar. It was great, but red wine vinegar is just as good. Any type of Italian dressing works well.
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Try this! You will love it. Don’t stress about exact measurements…you really can’t go wrong.
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Pasta Salad No Recipe, Recipe
1 lb pasta
cut up veggies of your choice
a bottle of Italian dressing
fruity or red wine vinegar
Boil pasta and drain. Add most (3/4 of the bottle) of Italian dressing. Add about 4 tbsp or to taste of vinegar. Add veggies. Stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.