The Tri Color Pasta Salad Recipe is a perfect side dish or full meal full of veggies and bright flavors! Follow our simple recipe for a perfect dish.
I’m an absolute fan of all kinds of pasta salads, which is why I also love this Pesto Pasta Salad (video) and Chicken Pasta Salad.

Table of contents
recipe details
This Tri Color Pasta Salad is one of my favorites because it’s both easy and full of flavor. A ready-made salad dressing gives it a bold flavor without making you a slave in the kitchen for too long.
- TASTE GOOD: This tri-color pasta salad has so much flavor. Peppers and tomatoes, spicy onions, salty olives and a tangy dressing make it delicious.
- TEXTURE: The veggies give this pasta salad a variety of textures, from crunchy to juicy to tender. Every bite of this dish is delicious.
- TIME: This recipe takes 20 minutes.
- EASE: This is so easy to make and is really easy to prepare. If you have the right ingredients on hand, you can whip this up in no time.
what you will need

Notes on ingredients
- Tricolor Rotini– We love using tri-colored rotini, but any bite-sized pasta will do.
- Red pepper- This adds some sweetness and a nice crunch.
- Red onion- This ingredient has a strong flavor that blends well with the others and has a nice crunch.
- cherry tomato These are sweet and juicy.
- Baby Bella Mushrooms These mushrooms have a meaty texture and earthy flavor that’s great in this pasta salad.
- Black olives- For a touch of salty, salty taste.
- Italian dressing- This dressing adds a great tangy flavor.
Add-Ins and Substitutions
- Substitute another pasta In addition to the tri-color rotini, you can also make this salad with elbow macaroni, farfalle, or penne.
- add cheese- Try this with some feta cheese, blue cheese, mozzarella cheese, or cheddar cheese.
- Substitute other vegetables You can make this tri-color pasta salad with other veggies like broccoli, green olives, roasted red peppers, or banana pods for some spiciness.
- Use a different bandage- You can make your own homemade dressing, use store-bought, or try this Greek Salad Dressing or Easy Cilantro Lime Dressing.
How to make Tri Color Pasta Salad
- Prepare the vegetables. Slice the mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onion and bell pepper.
- Prepare your pasta. Cook your rotini according to package directions or al dente.
- Mix all ingredients together. Here you put everything in a large bowl and mix in the dressing. Chill before serving.
Pro Tip: Prepare the vegetables while the pasta is cooking so you can add them when the pasta is done.

recipe tips
- Use smaller tomato I recommend using small tomatoes like cherry or grape tomatoes instead of the larger ones as they can get mushy.
- Cut the vegetables to a uniform size To prevent a single vegetable from overwhelming the dish, be sure to cut the vegetables to a similar size.
- Cook pasta al dente Make sure you cook the pasta al dente, just firm enough not to break apart when you mix it with the veggies.
- chill the pasta This pasta is best chilled, so place covered in the fridge for about half an hour before serving.
frequently asked Questions
Tricolor pasta is regular semolina pasta that’s been flavored with spinach and tomatoes to give it those bright red, yellow, and green colors.
If you’re making a cold pasta salad, it’s okay to rinse the pasta. This will remove the starch released during cooking. However, this is not a necessary step.

serving suggestions
This tri-color pasta salad pairs well with other salads, side dishes, and main dishes. It’s the perfect dish for barbecues and backyard gatherings.
- Meat/Seafood: Serve this salad with BBQ chicken wings, cedar plank salmon, smoked chicken thighs, or barbecue pork ribs.
- salads: Pair this pasta salad with some cucumber tomato feta salad, pesto pasta salad (VIDEO), chicken salad with grapes, or cucumber radish salad.
- Pages: Enjoy this tri-color pasta salad with Air Fryer corn on the cob, eggplant appetizers (roll-ups), Air Fryer crispy broccoli, or Air Fryer buffalo cauliflower.
- Sandwiches: Serve this alongside chipotle burgers with avocado sauce, brisket sandwiches, caprese sandwiches, or classic BLT sandwiches.
Make this recipe ahead of time
Go on: Because this pasta salad keeps well and needs to be refrigerated before serving, make it a day ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve.
storage: Store this tri-color pasta salad in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After that, the pasta will start to get mushy.
Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this salad as the vegetables will thaw soft and mushy and lose their delicious crispiness.
More delicious pasta dishes!
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Full Recipe Guide

Tricolor pasta salad
Tri Color Pasta Salad Recipe is a perfect side dish or full meal that’s packed with veggies and bright flavors! Follow our simple recipe for a perfect dish.
Press Pen rate
Servings: 8th
Calories: 512kcal
instructions
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Cook the tri-colored rotini according to the package insert, making sure to salt the water well. When the noodles are cooked, pour them into a colander and rinse the noodles with cold water to stop them from cooking. After all the water has drained, place the noodles in a large bowl.
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Chop the peppers and red onion, slice the tomatoes and mushrooms.
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Add the chopped veggies and sliced olives to the pasta, mixing only to combine.
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Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta and stir well. It may seem like a lot of dressing at first, but the pasta will absorb a lot of it. Serve chilled.
Remarks
- Use smaller tomato I recommend using small tomatoes like cherry or grape tomatoes instead of the larger ones as they can get mushy.
- Cut the vegetables to a uniform size To prevent a single vegetable from overwhelming the dish, be sure to cut the vegetables to a similar size.
- Cook pasta al dente Make sure you cook the pasta al dente, just firm enough not to break apart when you mix it with the veggies.
- chill the pasta This pasta is best chilled, so place covered in the fridge for about half an hour before serving.
Nourishment
Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 59G | Protein: 9G | Fat: 26G | Saturated Fatty Acids: 3G | Sodium: 1395mg | Potassium: 383mg | Fiber: 3G | Sugar: 15G | Vitamin A: 765ie | Vitamin C: 28.5mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1.4mg
This recipe was originally posted on March 19th, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
