My mom always made this Italian dressing pasta salad with Parmesan cheese when we were growing up! This gluten-free pasta salad is full of fresh veggies and makes an awesome vegetarian potluck dish to bring to a party.
Before I ever liked vegetables, I remember sneaking bites of this Italian dressing pasta salad from the refrigerator.
My mom would chop the bell peppers and onion very small, and somehow my taste buds did not seem to mind.
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For just about every potluck, summer party, or church function, I knew what my mom was making.
This Italian dressing pasta salad was always one of the first dishes to be devoured and often times requested for the next gathering.
When Cohl was doing his 260-mile canoe race at the beginning of June I had to come up with a lot of meals that would be tasty, easy-to-consume, and could keep for a few days in a cooler.
It had been a few years since I had enjoyed this delightful pasta salad, but I had a feeling it would be a hit. I used a brown rice gluten-free pasta and one of our favorite Italian dressings. The boys loved it!!
17 Simple Salad Dressings e-Book
An e-cookbook full of quick vinaigrettes and creamy dressings that are ready in under 5 minutes!
What Kind of Gluten-Free Pasta Should I Use?
Since then I have experimented with numerous gluten-free kinds of pasta and have found corn blends, rice blends, and even a lentil & quinoa pasta blend! Some of my favorite brands of gluten-free pastas for this Italian dressing pasta salads are:
I would love to hear if you make this Italian dressing pasta salad with Parmesan cheese!!
PIN THIS ITALIAN DRESSING PASTA SALAD
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Italian Dressing Pasta Salad Recipe
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Ingredients
- 10-12 oz. rotini pasta gluten-free
- 1 cup Italian dressing bottled or homemade
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1-inch slices
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼-½ tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper to taste
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool running water.
- Once pasta is cooled to room temperature, combine it with ¾ cup of Italian dressing in a large bowl. Toss until well coated.
- Add bell peppers, onion, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Toss until all ingredients are well combined.*
- Refrigerate pasta salad for 1-2 hours, or until chilled.
- Just before serving pour in additional ¼ cup of Italian dressing and mix in spinach leaves.
- Serve with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
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Notes
- You can also mix in the remaining Italian dressing and spinach leaves if you would like to serve it immediately without chilling.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Make a big batch of this salad but keep the spinach and ¼ cup of dressing separate. Mix in just before serving. Please note, some gluten-free pasta will get harder after being refrigerated for 48 hours.
- To Store: Keep this cold pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: It is not recommended to freeze leftovers as the pasta will become quite soggy and lose its texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
LOVE a good Italian pasta salad! This is the true side of summertime. Can’t wait to try this!
I totally agree with you, Karly!! It reminds me of my summertime childhood 🙂