11/04/22

Overnight Pasta Salad (the BEST Pasta Salad EVER)

Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

JUMP TO RECIPE

It may look the same, and the ingredients may be similar, but this IS NOT like the pasta salad you’re used to eating.

This is a gozillion times better than the traditional stuff because of the way it’s prepared.

Just trust me on this one, you need to try this recipe.

Overnight Pasta Salad | Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

Two things will happen when you try pasta salad made this way:

You’ll never make it the old way again.

ERRYBODY will ask you for the recipe.

Overnight Pasta Salad | Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

Are you thinking, Really Mandy, what could possssibly be so special about pasta salad??

Well, lemme tell ya!!

There are actually two things that make this pasta salad so good…

Overnight Pasta Salad | Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

Reason #1 - Once you drain the hot, cooked pasta, you mix the dressing in immediately. The hot pasta soaks up the dressing and marinates in it overnight.

Reason #2 – We use both prepared Italian dressing AND a packet of dry Italian dressing mix which makes the pasta perfectly seasoned and packed with flavor.

Overnight Pasta Salad | Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

I add the veggies I like in this recipe but feel free to add or omit per your preference. This recipe has:

  • English cucumbers
  • Grape tomatoes
  • Red onions
  • Black olives
  • Sun-dried tomatoes

Some other add-ins to consider could be:

  • Pepperoncini peppers
  • Mozzarella pearls
  • Bell peppers (any color)
  • Green olives
  • Pepperoni 
  • Artichoke hearts
  • Edamame
  • Green onions
Overnight Pasta Salad | Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

NOTES ON MAKING OVERNIGHT PASTA SALAD

  • Use a ridged, tubular pasta if possible. My favorites are pipette (pictured here), cellentani, ridged elbows and mini penne.
  • If you don't have time to prepare the pasta the day before, make at least 8 hours before serving.
  • Use whichever fresh veggies you like best in pasta salad (these are just my favs). See above for suggestions of other add-ins.
  • You don’t need to wait until the exact minute you’re about to serve this to add the fresh veggies – I just don’t recommend letting them sit in the dressing overnight or mixing them with warm pasta.
  • Any quality “oil & vinegar” type Italian dressing works. I always use Kraft’s Zesty Italian or Olive Garden’s Signature Italian. If I had to pick one, I’d say I like it with the OG dressing best.
  • I use Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix.
  • Don’t skip the sun-dried tomatoes! They are insanely flavorful AND they provide a chewy texture which is excellent with the soft pasta and crisp veggies.

Recipe for Overnight Pasta Salad (the BEST Pasta Salad EVER)

Overnight Pasta Salad | Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

Overnight Pasta Salad (the BEST Pasta Salad EVER)

Overnight Pasta Salad (the BEST Pasta Salad EVER)
Yield: 14-16 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 24 HourTotal time: 24 H & 25 M
Absolutely THE BEST pasta salad recipe made by mixing hot, cooked pasta with prepared Italian dressing AND dry Italian dressing seasoning mix to marinate overnight.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pasta (see notes)
  • 2 cups Italian dressing
  • 1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
  • 1 8-oz bottle sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 can pitted black olives, drained
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, diced
  • 1 English cucumber, diced
  • 1 red onion, diced

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta in liberally salted water per manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation. Drain noodles well (do not rinse) then add to a large mixing bowl.
  2. While noodles are still warm, stir in Italian dressing and dry Italian dressing mix.
  3. Drain oil then chop sun-dried tomatoes. Stir tomatoes into pasta, cover and refrigerate overnight.
  4. When ready to serve, add remaining ingredients then mix well. Cover and refrigerate to store.

Notes

  • Use a ridged, tubular pasta if possible. My favorites are pipette (pictured here), cellentani, ridged elbows and mini penne.
  • If you don't have time to prepare the pasta the day before, make at least 8 hours before serving.
  • Use whichever fresh veggies you like best in pasta salad (these are just my favs). See article above for suggestions of other add-ins.
  • You don’t need to wait until the exact minute you’re about to serve this to add the fresh veggies – I just don’t recommend letting them sit in the dressing overnight or mixing them with warm pasta.
  • Any quality “oil & vinegar” type Italian dressing works. I always use Kraft’s Zesty Italian or Olive Garden’s Signature Italian. If I had to pick one, I’d say I like it with the OG dressing best.
  • I use Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix.
  • Don’t skip the sun-dried tomatoes! They are insanely flavorful AND they provide a chewy texture which is excellent with the soft pasta and crisp veggies.
pasta, noodle, italian, salad, side dish, olive garden, kraft, zesty, dressing, seasoning, good seasons, mix, dry, powder, packet, bottle, prepared, sun-dried, tomatoes, olives, best, overnight, soak, marinate, recipe, how to
side dish, covered dish, potluck, pasta
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15 comments:

  1. I usually don't eat pasta, but this salad looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Do you use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or the bagged sun-dried tomatoes?

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    Replies
    1. Great question! The kind packed in oil. I'll make a note in the recipe.

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    2. Thank you! I just made it and can’t wait to try after I add all of the ingredients tomorrow. Take care.

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  3. It turned out delicious! I highly recommend this recipe. It is the BEST pasta salad I’ve had.

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  4. I like to use champions dressing and I add a little balsamic vinegar. Salad supreme is a must’

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  5. I like to use Gerard’s champagne dressing and a wonderful balsamic vinegar Salad supreme is a must!

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  6. When you put the sun dried tomatoes do you put the oil of sun dried tomatoes bin as well?

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    Replies
    1. Have you tried this with salami & pepperoni adddd

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  7. Has anyone tried this with Rotini pasta?

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  8. I took this pasta salad to a bbq today & it was very good! I messed up though because when I mixed the 2 salad dressings to the warm pasta last night I realized that I didn’t have the sun dried tomatoes but had roasted red peppers lol. It was too late to go to the store so I decided to just use the roasted red peppers. I added a couple of green onion, sliced olives & artichokes to it today. It was still delicious.

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  9. Does salad dressing and salad packet get mixed together at the same time?

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  10. I normally don't like italian salads because the dressing is too strong. However, I made this one for the family and everyone loved it...especially me, I even ate some leftover for breakfast. I thought mixing dry dressing in would make it too strong, but the pasta soaked up the dressing and actually had a very mild, wonderful flavor. Mixing into hot pasta was the secret. Wonderful recipe!!!

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  11. Great Pasta Salad. one of the BEST one's I have ever made...

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy