Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing

I looked up this recipe solely for the dressing. This makes a lovely red vinegar dressing. I use it with cold cooked pasta and a meat such as crabmeat or tuna. Very tastey.

I made this according to recipe, only using all red pepper because none of us care for green bell pepper. I agree with other reviewers that the dressing really should be doubled if you plan on chilling it all day, which I did not. Just a couple hours was all I had today. I think if I make this again, I'd double the spices (salt excluded) and I'd add chopped tomatoes. As is, it's a very tasty salad!

Plan ahead to make this one. Note the 8 hour chilling. Good for potlucks, it makes a large bowl of salad. Lots of ingredients, some of which you won’t have on hand. I bought some exclusively for this. Gets pricey too if you don’t have some of the stuff. I did have quite a few things. Very colorful with the meat, cheese and veggies, so don’t substitute or omit and ruin that. Cut the cost a little by using a couple of ounces less of sliced pepperoni, provolone and olives. Instead of chunks, cut pizza size pepperoni slices into quarters and provolone slices first into strips, then cut again into ½ inch squares. Only a 2 ¼ oz. can of sliced olives, drained, is needed. I used only ½ a red onion. There was still plenty of everything to distribute thru the salad. Will make again.

Sorry everyone but I only made the dressing in this recipe and it was good! I did add about a teaspoon of honey to get rid of the bitter taste!! Great dressing!

I also only made the dressing in this recipe, but it is wonderful. Good balance of oil, vingegar, and spices. I only substituted ground dried mustard instead of the ground mustard seed b/c that's what I had in the spice cabinet. When I make pasta salad, I just use up whatever I happen to have in the fridge!

Pretty good pasta salad. I did change a couple things. I omitted the cucumbers and black olives (per our preference) I also chopped the vegetables & onion instead of slicing (more evenly distributes the flavors) and I used roasted red peppers (chopped), for more flavor and used balsamic vinegar in place of the red wine. Stable base recipe, that is easy to play with to suite tastes.

This is a very beautiful, very delicious salad! I didn't change a thing. It was a HIT at the baby shower I threw. Prep time was much longer than what it said because of all the chopping. Save some of the dressing for later just in case the salad dries out.

I followed the recipe with the exception of two items I didn't have; the cucumber and mustard seed. I used some mustard powder instead. I thought the dressing was very good. One recommendation I have is to make this the day before you plan on serving and to double the dressing. The pasta did absorb the taste better by the next day but it was dry. I also would add more salt & pepper. It tasted a little bland. I added halved cherry tomatoes to mine. It was very good. Just need a little tweaking.

The best pasta salad I have ever had. The dressing, I think, is what makes this dish so good! I used turkey and ham instead of pepperoni and mozzerella instead of provolone. It was still very very good. I took it to a potluck and I came home with an empty bowl. I will make this again and again.

The dressing is awesome! I didn't have basil so I used Italian seasoning in place of both basil and oregano. I don't like the meatiness of this salad recipe so I added my own favorite veggies - green pepper, green onion, green olives, sun-dried tomatoes, savoy cabbage, parsley and carrots.

Very colorful and tasty salad. Prep time took a little longer than 20 minutes - lots of chopping. After the salad had marinated overnight, it seemed a little dry so I mixed up another small batch of dressing and stirred in to moisten it up a bit. Would definately make again.

Great Italian salad.....love that it comes with it's own dressing recipe and it tastes delicious.

My tweaks are to replace the dried basil AND the fresh parsley with fresh basil. I replace the cucumber with halved grape tomatoes. I use slightly less garlic, and I omit the pepperoni so that vegetarians can it it too. I followed the advice of another reviewer to save some of the dressing until just before I serve it, to re-moisten the salad, which works great! And finally, I have tried this recipe with both regular provolone and expensive sharp provolone from the deli counter. I definitely prefer the sharp provolone if I can find it. It really adds a kick to the recipe.

The dressing is delicious!! And my friends LOVED this salad. Though, I didn't use the mustard seeds.

Love it!!!

I only made the dressing portion. I threw together whatever I had in the fridge (which included steamed broccoli - nice touch!) and tossed it. I might have done with a little more salt since we didn't have any sausage in our mix, but overall, very nice, light taste.

The dressing is wonderful. I omit and add other veggies to this recipe but I follow dressing recipe exactly. I usually double the dressing for the salad.

Great recipe! I omitted parsley because I had none on hand and it wasn't missed. I did dress the salad about 24 hrs before serving. That may have resulted in the pasta tasting a little bland.

Delicious recipe! My grandma needed a dressing for a pasta salad, and I found this one. Everyone at the event loved it. Even professional cooks came up and commented on the dressing. Definitely a success

This recipe is wonderful! The dressing is so good and has a great flavor. It has a zesty flavor, kind of tangy vinegary taste but not over powering and so very good. It is a nice change from the same old italian dressing I use all the time. I definelity recommend this. I used medium shell noodles along with all the other ingrediants it calls for and it was a colorful and appetizing salad.

The dressing was amazing! I have to admit as well, that I was looking for a dressing recipe. Nonetheless, I omitted the meat and merely used quartered grape tomatoes, halves of both yellow and red peppers, red onion to taste, a small cucumber, parmesan cheese (finely grated), sea salt / freshly ground pepper and whole wheat rotini - all this combined with the dressing was amazing!

The dressing for this pasta salad is delicious! I would probably double it next time since a lot of it was absorbed into the pasta overnight.

This has been a crowd favorite everytime I've made it. I tend to double the recipe and make a little extra dressing to put on just before I serve it because the salad really soaks it up.

I used this for the dressing. Used ground oregano instead of dried. This is the best and lightest dressing I have had in a long time!

yummy! I added other veggies as well, great dressing.

Love this recipe! It is very versatile, but I loved the dressing as much as the others. I used dijon instead of ground mustard and summer sausage instead of pepperoni- yum!

For at least 10 years, I don't think I've ever commented on a recipe before on this site, but this was the best italian dressing I've ever had. This is one to keep.

very nice! thank you :)

I only made this for the dressing. BEST IDEA EVER!

This was good! Great way to add fresh summer veggies :)

i found this recipe by searchin for a homemade salad dressing recipe, and it was delicious. my only criticism of the salad recipe is that i'm pretty sure 8 oz boxes of rotini are not standard, and instead they're more commonly in 12 oz boxes. the dressing recipe didn't make enough for 12 oz of pasta so i doubled it, and it turned out well. i also used diced mozzarella instead of provolone and i adjusted some other ingredients to my own taste, but in general this is a great recipe, thanks!

This is the bomb! We sometimes add some grilled chicken and bite size slices of mozzarella to this and i is a meal in itself! This is one of my staples.

My pasta salad was close but not exactly like this. No meat or olives, and I had some spinach corn and grape tomatoes thrown in. However, I used this dressing - pretty tasty! I found that a dash of lemon juice helps lift it up some.

This is a really good salad. It is a complete meal with bread sticks. It makes a large quanity---but was, if anything, better on the second and third day! None was wasted, and I am not a big pasta salad person. I followed the recipe exactly and plan to make it again and use a combination of chicken and pepperoni. After making the dressing--which was very good---I did go back and make another batch of dressing---I thought it needed more.

This dressing is always a HUGE hit when I take this out. I just throw the veggies and cheese in with some cooked whole wheat pasta and then use the dressing.

This is a 5-star salad in this house, and it has a fabulous dressing! I used all the ingredients, except the black olives, as we are not fans of those. You really do need to let this cure for the 8 hours to achieve the maximum flavor. This makes a large amount, which is what I wanted for lunches during the week. I liked how the the flavors and the texture held up nicely for the 4 days it lasted. Definitely will be a repeat in our house. Thanks, BONNIES for sharing your recipe.

I used this recipe because I wanted to make a pasta salad with a homemade Italian dressing instead of bottled. I followed the directions exactly and loved the dressing once it had time to meld overnight. I left out the pepperoni since I was making this pasta salad meatless. Thanks for a wonderful pasta salad with an excellent dressing recipe!

Simple, easy recipe. I added more seasoning to the dressing and a tad more salt as it seemed blah, but overall a very tasy recipe!

I made this recipe for a Mother's day party. It was a huge hit. Recipe is easy to make and ingredients can be easily adjusted to preference.

I don't think there was enough dressing for my preference, but the flavors were good. I didn't let it sit 8 hrs, but it was dry even after 3 hours in the fridge! I would double the dressing if I made it again.

This recipe was a hit at our Easter dinner! My son in law told my daughter it was better than the pasta salad that she makes! haha It was great...this is a keeper!

Great recipe! Cucumbers added a nice cool twist. Also, added quartered artichokes. Delicious! Great for potlucks.

Fantastic summer salad to which I also added a bit of arugala. Family loved this and thanks so much for a great recipe!

Unbelievably great dressing! Definitely double to have enough. My teenage sons who don't even cook had to make a second batch the next day they loved it so much!

Oh my goodness. That's what my taste buds said when I made this dish today for my husband. Delicious.

It was a bit dry. I added some bottled Italian dressing and some Parmesan cheese.

A little tangy/tart, but very very good. I made exactly as written other than I left out the black olives due to preferrences

Yum, yum, YUM!! Made this as a side dish for my homemade pizza (which is pretty darned good!) and everybody ate more of the salad than they did my pizza!! Made the dressing first so it could blend flavors a bit, using just a touch of sugar to mellow it out a bit (maybe 1/2 teaspoon), used mini bowties for the pasta and the only real change I made was to nix the bell pepper and use an anaheim as I like the milder flavor better. Seriously, it is the BEST pasta salad I've had. Major epiphany for me was to just go the the deli section of the supermarket and ask for a small slab of the meat and cheese instead of buying a whole sausage. Came to a little over a dollar a piece for all three. Will definitely do that again, too!!

Very good! Only put in half of the mayo called for, only because I wanted to lower the calories and taste the freshness of the veggies more. Thought all of the various elements of this dish went well with each other. Will be sharing with others! Thanks.

I have made this several times this summer for outdoor parties, always with great success. I knew it was a winner when my [very picky] brother-in-law requested that I make it for a dinner he was having to introduce his girlfriend's parents to his parents. I do leave out the onions, but only because my husband doesn't like them. Other than that, I follow this recipe exactly as is. This pasta salad is great - definitely a winner.

I substituted sweet sopressata for the pepperoni, and added 2 Tbsp. white sugar to the dressing. Magnifico!

Great dressing for any pasta but I used whole wheat penne for mine. I used 1/2 c of red wine vinegar and about 1/2 cup of parmesean cheese. To make a quick lunch I warmed up a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables and a roma tomato and kept the salad vegetarian. I didn't have mustard seed so used ground mustard instead. A little more salt was needed for my taste. Again, very good and I will definitely make this again.

This dressing was perfect! My salad had salami and feta instead of provolone and pepperoni. I also threw in some fresh basil and real Kalamata olives. Canned olives are a no-no in this house.

It tastes like any decent bottled dressing.

Omitted the parsley (didn't have any) and olives (my fiance doesn't like them) and added some grape tomatoes, halved, that I needed to use. I also accidentally added marjoram to the dressing instead of oregano, but after realizing what I'd done, also added the oregano. We ate this as a main dish over baby lettuces.

This Is a really great recipe. I did make a few changes to suit my tastes. I used hard salami instead of the pepperoni. I did omit the cucumbers this time will will use them next time. I also tried it with sm shell pasta. The dressing is awsome!! This is a recipe that will be used for all gathering from now on.

I used this recipe just for the sauce (like a few other readers) to add to a pasta salad mix that had things we had on hand. It was a great addition to spruce it up with a little bit of kick. I made to modifications; 1) I used Balsamic Vinegar instead of Red Wine and 2) used a bit of Dijon Mustard instead of mustard seed to add that extra kick. The result was very tasty! Make sure you add the vinegar in stages and test as you go to make sure it doesn't become too strong for your liking.

Absolutely great recipe. I have made it twice and it was a hit both times. Everyone wanted the recipe.

Preparation time changed by the Allrecipes staff on 5/27/2008.

This was tasty, but I only used 1/4 of red onion since a whole one would seem overpowering in only 8 oz. of pasta. Also used roasted red pepper instead of fresh, omitted the cucumber and added halved grape tomatoes. An important point is to make additional dressing. It gets dry when marinating for 8 hours. Added extra dressing at serving time, and it was moist and delicious.

The dressing was bland to me, tasted like just plain vinegar and oil and my husband didn't like it at all. So I added 1/3 cup of sugar with a tablespoon of mustard and that improved the flavor. It is a very pretty salad and I will make again but will use a different dressing.

Best pasta salad I've ever made! I used the hint by another reviewer to save a little of the dressing to toss on just before serving. Also, I did not have a cucumber, so used what I had which was a small zucchini sliced and cut into quarters, tasted great!

Love, love, LOVE this recipe. I always add whatever I have on hand...for taste and color factor. Easy to double and make for a crowd. This is a much requested recipe for parties.

Everyone liked this recipe. Changed a few veggie ingredients to what I had on hand, but this recipe is great to be able to make changes to particular tastes. I do think I'll double the dressing next time...but the dressing had great flavor!

Made this tonight. It was a big hit with the family! The only changes I made were that I added sugar to the dressing, about 1tsp. It was just too tart for my kids the way it was. That could be because I didn't have mustard seed so I used a 1/2 tsp of mustard. Any way it was really good and it was really different than my usual pasta salad

Delicious and very pretty to look at. thanks

This is a great summer recipe! I followed it exactly except that I used chorizo instead of pepperoni. I also added the zest and juice of one lemon.

Good recipe! I will make again. For extra kick I added monteray jack and jalapeno cheese and olive with chopped jalapeno.

This is the best pasta salad ever. I made few changes like calamata olives, feta and mozzarella cheeses, added sliced grape tomatos, left out the pepperoni added honey to the dressing as suggested by another. Oh man was it good!

loved it! thanks!

It was great. Made without the olives and garlic.

This stuff rocks. Will make again. Tasty dressing and that is hard to find. Try this one!

I love it so delicious to much spices.

Followed recipe completely. Could use more dressing but it's delicious.

Really delicious - I'm allergic to gluten so I substituted brown rice pasta for the tri-color fusilli. Turned out just as tasty!

I made this for a dinner party and it was a big hit every one loved it. Save some of the dressing and add it just before you serve the salad or it can be a little dry. Otherwise I love it.

Just made it. I didn't have any pepperoni so I used a very good hard salami. I am allergic to provolone cheese so I left it out as well. OMG!! Hasn't even refrigerated yet, and talk about good. WOW. I'll be making this again for sure.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly as far as the salad part. But I did follow the dressing recipe exactly and LOVE IT! Thanks so much for the great recipe!

This dressing is wonderful! I'll never use store-bought dressing on my garden pasta salads again.

Love it! This is the best basic pasta salad I have tried.

I found this a bit bland.

I only used the dressing and it was really good. I did add about 3 or 4 teaspoons of honey, and about 2 or 3 teaspoons of white sugar, it got the bitter taste out. I put it over a pasta salad that had carrots, cucumbers, and celery in it. It was great. I will make this again.

Skipped the pepperoni, chopped the cucumbers and added tomatoes. Used all fresh herbs from my garden instead of dried. This was very pretty and very tasty!

this is a 5.....awesome!

This is a most awesome pasta salad!! I made a few changes, but all in all, followed it pretty close. I did use actual pepperoni slices and just qtrd them. I also used all fresh herbs - as I have them in my garden. I probably used WAY more than the equiv. would have been, but we love herbs. One last thing was the olives. I used kalamata olives because we love them! :)

Make extra dressing to pour on the next day

I looked this up for the dressing. I used cider vinegar instead of the red wine and I just love it! This will be my go-to dressing!

Pretty wonderful! I used mozzarella (fresh) instead of provolone as a personal choice but I left everything else the same. I felt like this was missing something. I tried adding more salt and garlic powder but that wasn't it. It needs something but other than that, pretty good. Unfortunately, I took it to the party and came home with a ton so I'll have plenty of time to figure it out. Good or bad thing? I'm not sure yet.

I forgot to add the provolone! I even had it in the fridge, but it was good anyway. I also added marinated mushrooms... just because I like them. No one noticed it was missing the cheese.

This salad is a lot of work...but it is well worth it. I have taken this to many parties/BBQ's and always get compliments on it!! I use turkey pepperoni and mozzerella cheese to cut down on the fat and caloires. This salad is a meal in and of itself!

Very tasty! I omitted ground mustard seed since I didn’t have any and added tomatoes.

I tried writing a review and mistakenly hit "done". As I was saying I eliminated the cheese and meat because my daughter is a vegan. I substituted with blanched broccoli and raw chopped baby carrots. For the dressing, I didn't have fresh garlic so I substituted with garlic powder and used a dash of cayenne pepper and agave nectar to give a sweet tang because the vinegar was a bit overwhelming. I used Gluten-Free brown rice rotini pasta. I also love using adobo and ground white pepper. It turned out delicious.

This is so delicious! Absolutely the best pasta salad I’ve ever eaten! I didn’t have fresh parsley, so I used half the amount of dried. I omitted the black olives because I’m the only one who likes them. I followed another reviewer’s advice and quartered sliced pepperoni and used slices of provolone that I cut into strips. I took it to a 4th of July picnic today and I got so many compliments. Usually pasta salad tastes sour because of the Italian dressing, but not this. This homemade dressing is so good. You could add any ingredients you want to this salad and it would be delicious as long as you use this dressing recipe.

Love the addition of pepperoni! I also added kidney beans to make it a solo meal. Thanks!

This is a KEEPER! It's great because you can use whatever veggies you have in the fridge. I used pepperoncini, roasted red peppers, sliced mini-peppers, sliced red onion, no olives or provalone mainly because I didn't have them. Also didn't have pepperoni, but will include next time. The dressing is terrific, I agree. I only used 1/2 the dressing to lighten it up. Only problem is not eating all the leftovers tomorrow when no one is looking...

This was good. I docked it a star because the red wine vinegar was a bit more pungent than I like. I also made the mistake (my mistake) of using shredded rather than grated cheese. The cheese never blended in because the shreds were too large.

Everyone keeps asking me to make this salad when I ask what should I bring...

This was a huge hit. I made this with some changes. I used feta cheese instead of provolone since provolone is rare where I live and didn't add olives. I also substituted rosemary for mustard seed. It came out great though. The olive out balances out the feta and parm cheeses and you get a creamy cheese flavor.

So good with homemade dressing! I don't like cucumbers so left those out. I added green salad olives for one half olives.