Tomatoes Archives - Country at Heart Recipes

The first time I tried this salad was probably back when I was in high school. Many years ago. But at the time, I thought it was an amazing dish. Unlike anything I’d ever tasted with cute squiggly pasta!

My selections at the grocery store has evolved since then. Many more choices available on the shelves. Like Tri-Color Rotini. And the availability of canned artichoke hearts! Who knew!

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Antipasto Rotini Salad

Tri-colored Veggie Rotini
canned artichoke hearts, drained
whole cherry tomatoes
halved black olives
sweet onion
carrots
green bell pepper
sweet onion
sliced pepperoni
creamy Italian dressing
freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
seasoning salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions for Making This Salad

Gather your ingredients so you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

With a sharp knife and cutting board, chop the onion. Peel and dice the carrot. Dice the green bell pepper.

Using a fine-edge grater, grate the fresh Parmesan. If you don’t have any fresh Parmesan, you may use canned grated Parmesan.

Make and Assemble the Salad

In a medium saucepan, cook Tri-Colored Veggie Rotini according to package directions. Empty the cooked pasta into a colander. Rinse with cold water and drain.

If you don’t have Tri-Colored Veggie Rotini you may substitute plain rotini. However, I think the colored rotini really gives this salad a nice pop of color.

In a large bowl, combine the drained artichoke hearts, whole cherry tomatoes, halved black olives, chopped onion, diced carrots and green bell peppers, and sliced pepperoni.

Add drained rotini and toss with creamy Italian dressing. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, seasoning salt, and freshly ground black pepper as desired.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow the ingredients to blend with each other. Before serving you may need to add some more creamy Italian dressing as the pasta tends to really soak it up.

This recipe will serve 8-10 people.

Unlike creamy salads that use sour cream, salad dressing, or mayo, you don’t have to worry about this antipasto salad going “bad.” Of course, it’s best served cold. But at least no one will get food poisoning if it sets out on the table for an hour. And that’s important. Fear of potato salad comes to mind. Right?

See more Salad Recipes Here. View more Italian Recipes Here. Browse Picnic Foods Here.

Antipasto Rotini Salad

Here's an easy and colorful salad recipe to enjoy this summer!

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Creamy Italian Dressing, Pasta, Tri-Colored Rotini, Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Refrigerate:: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 26 minutes

Servings:

Equipment

Knife Set

Cuisinart Cookware

Stainless Colander

Glass Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

12 oz. Tri-Colored Veggie Rotini cooked and drained
14 oz. canned artichoke hearts drained
12 whole cherry tomatoes
1 cup black olives halved
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup carrots diced
1/2 medium green pepper diced
3 oz pepperoni sliced
12 oz. creamy Italian dressing
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

Using a sharp knife and cutting board, slice the black olives in half. Chop the sweet onion. Peel and dice the carrot. Dice the green bell pepper.
With a sharp-edged zester, grate the fresh Parmesan.

Make and Assemble the Salad

In a medium saucepan, cook the Tri-Colored Veggie Rotini as directed. Empty the cooked pasta into a colander. Rinse with cold water and drain.
In a large bowl, combine the drained artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, halved black olives, chopped onion, diced carrots and green bell peppers, and the sliced pepperoni.
Add the drained Rotini and toss with a creamy Italian dressing. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, seasoning salt, and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Refrigerate one hour before serving. Serves 8-10.