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Red, White and Blue Pasta Salad

Red, White and Blue Pasta Salad made with pasta, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes & your favorite Italian dressing! Fun & festive patriotic salad perfect for 4th of July!
Prep Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Red, White and Blue Pasta Salad
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 265kcal

Ingredients

  • 16 oz 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 cherry tomatoes, cut in half (about 10 ounces)
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed small (or mozzarella pearls)
  • ¾ cup pepperoni, quartered
  • ½ cup black olives, chopped equal to 3 ounce can
  • 1 bottle (16-ounce) Italian dressing

Instructions

Color the noodles

  • Prepare the noodles according to the package directions. After the noodles have been cooked and rinsed, separate the pasta into 3 ziplocked bags with equal-sized portions of pasta (this is about 3 cups of noodles in each bowl).
  • Then, add 3-4 drops of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon of water to one of the bags and seal is shut tightly.
  • Do the same with the other bag but use blue food coloring instead. Adding in3-4 drops of blue food coloring and 1 tablespoon of water.
  • Next, gently knead both bags to mix and coat the pasta well until it looks uniform in each color. If needed, add in 1 more drop of coloring and 1tablespoon of water to either bag until the desired hue is achieved. Be careful to not add too much coloring or else the pasta will take on too much of the food coloring taste.
  • Let the pasta sit in each color for about 5 minutes, letting the color really sink in. Then, rinse and drain pasta. Drizzle the olive oil over the plain white pasta. (This helps prevent the color from leeching to the white pasta.)

Make the Pasta Salad

  • Now, pour the red and blue pasta into the large bowl with the plain pasta, stir to combine.
  • Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half, pour those into the large bowl of pasta.
  • Depending on the mozzarella cheese you are using, dice into small cubes or drain the pearls, add the cheese to the pasta bowl.
  • Next, slice the pepperoni into quarter pieces until you have 3/4 cup and then add it to the pasta mixture.
  • After that, drain the can of olives and pour into the pasta bowl.
  • Lastly, pour in the entire 16-ounce bottle of Italian salad dressing and mix well until all ingredients are fully combined. Cover salad & chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Notes

Red, White and Blue Pasta Salad is a dish to serve at family gatherings or backyard BBQ's! Make this zesty Italian pasta salad and watch how quickly it disappears! 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 462mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 287IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg