This quick (15 min.), and easy to make pasta salad with Italian dressing, salami, cheese, broccoli, olives and carrots will become a family favorite!
Do you enjoy Pasta Salad? We sure do. I like to make them in the summer (when it’s HOT), and have the chilled, yummy salad “hang out” in our refrigerator for quick bites here and there! It’s so easy to make this Pasta Salad, and it tastes quite wonderful.
I’ve been making Pasta Salad like this for at least 20 years, and we always enjoy it. This salad has black olives, cheddar cheese, Genoa salami, red pepper, broccoli, baby carrots, red onion, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes! YUM. Here’s how to make it:
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How To Make This Pasta Salad
Here’s a closeup of the “Cast Of Characters”, chopped and ready to go. TIP: Chop and cut all of salad ingredients while the pasta in this recipe is cooking, to save time! Once that is done, you’re practically ready to eat this delicious pasta salad! The prep time to make this is minimal. It can be ready in under 15 minutes!
Cook The Pasta
Start by cooking pasta according to package directions. I like to use rainbow pasta (as shown) for color and variety, but elbow macaroni, bow-tie pasta, etc. will work fine, as well! When done, rinse and drain the pasta well.
Add the cooked and drained pasta and all of the other ingredients into a large salad bowl.
Dress The Pasta Salad
Pour Italian salad dressing over top, and mix well, to fully coat it all. Any Italian dressing will be just fine (just use what you have), BUT this is my FAVORITE dressing to use on this salad! No… I am not sponsored by Olive Garden – I just really like their creamy Italian dressing paired with this salad.
Let The Salad Chill For BEST Flavor!
Cover and refrigerate the salad for at least an hour (for best flavor!). Right before serving, taste, and add additional salad dressing if necessary (the dressing will absorb into the pasta while refrigerating). That’s it. Serve it up, and ENJOY the great flavors in this delicious pasta salad.
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Looking For More PASTA SALAD Recipes?
You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A couple pasta salad recipes you might enjoy are:
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This quick and easy to make pasta salad with Italian dressing, salami, cheese, broccoli, olives and carrots will become a family favorite!
- 1 lb. bag rainbow pasta (or any kind you like, elbow macaroni, bow-tie, etc)
- 20 slices Salami , thinly sliced and cut into quarters
- 3 slices Cheddar Cheese (3 med. thick slices), cut into 1" cubes
- 10 Cherry tomatoes , halved
- ½ cup Broccoli , cut into tiny pieces (about 1/2 cup)
- ¼ cup Red Onion , diced
- 10 Baby carrots , sliced thin
- 1 small can sliced black olives , drained
- 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
- 1 cup Cucumber , peeled, sliced, then quartered
- ½ cup Italian Dressing (1/3- 1/2 cup)
- Cook pasta according to package directions. When done, rinse, drain, then set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, chop, dice, slice (etc.) all the veggies and cheese, etc. for salad.
- Combine cooked and cooled pasta and remaining ingredients in large salad bowl.
- Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup salad dressing over salad. Toss well, to combine. If it needs a bit more salad dressing, add it! The salad dressing will absorb a bit into the salad as it refrigerates. If necessary, add just a bit more dressing right before serving!
- Cover and refrigerate for about an hour before serving, to give all the flavors a chance to mingle!
- Serve, and enjoy!
The quantity of chopped veggies and cheese used in this recipe is approximate. Change quantities up and/or add other ingredients as you prefer! You really can't hurt this salad. Trust me!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!