Description
A colorful and festive pasta salad that features red, white, and blue ingredients, perfect for patriotic celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (16-ounce) box rotini pasta, cooked and rinsed
- 3–4 drops each red & blue liquid food coloring
- 2 tablespoons water, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 1 pint (about 10 ounces) of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (or mozzarella pearls)
- ¾ cup pepperoni, cut into fourths
- ½ cup black olives, chopped
- 1 (16-ounce) bottle of Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook your pasta per package directions and drain well.
- In a large Ziploc bag, add the 3-4 drops of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon of water. Repeat in another bag with the blue food coloring and the remaining 1 tablespoon of water.
- Separate pasta into 3 equal portions (about 3 cups each).
- Place ⅓ of the pasta (1 of the 3 portions) into the bag with the red coloring and seal the bag. Place another third portion of pasta into the blue bag and seal. Gently knead the bags to mix the pasta with coloring. Continue until the pasta is uniform in color. If the pasta needs additional color, mix 1 drop of food coloring with 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the bag until the desired color is reached. Rinse noodles and drain well.
- Mix the remaining third portion of noodles with the olive/vegetable oil. This will help prevent the coloring from bleeding into the white pasta.
- Place all pasta into a large bowl and add the tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni, olives, and dressing. Mix until well combined. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to customize the pasta by adding other ingredients like bell peppers or cucumbers.
- For a healthier version, consider using whole grain pasta and reducing the amount of dressing.
- Adjust the amount of food coloring to achieve your desired vibrancy.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: Patriotic Pasta Salad, festive pasta salad, colorful salad, summer salad