My Aunt Marilyn gave me this pasta salad recipe a while back and I had yet to try it until the other night. (If you are new here, I should explain that my Aunt Marilyn has her own label to the right over there – her recipes are always fabulous.) It was fantastic and will definitely go into my archives for a tried-and-true, delicious pasta salad. The dressing combination (pesto and creamy ranch) is not overpowering, like many pasta salads, and the pine nuts give it a special crunch. This is one of my very favorite pasta salads and is always a tremendous hit at potlucks and BBQ’s. It’s a keeper!
Tri Color Pasta Salad
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
INGREDIENTS:
1 12 oz. package tri-color rotini pasta, cooked and drained
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 can black olives, sliced
¼ cups red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
6 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
4 tablespoons basil pesto
2/3 cup creamy Caesar dressing
2 teaspoons sauté spice (equal parts black pepper, salt, and garlic powder)
½-1 cup toasted pine nuts
DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta and coat with Caesar dressing while warm. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the pine nuts) and toss. Top with toasted pine nuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Source: from Aunt Marilyn
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
This was so yummy!! I think that the pine nuts really add to the salad. My 19 month old daughter especially loved it. Thanks for all of the great recipes!!
Love this pasta dish!! Easy too!
Hi Melanie,
This was a hit at our July 4th BBQ. I couldn’t find pesto at the supermarket, so I left it out but it was still delish!
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Melanie,
I understand you are in the middle of your move but just wanted to post this now. This salad should be OK to prepare the night before right?
Thanks!
Another question…how much flavor will be compromised if I leave out the pasto? or is there anyting you think I can sub it for?
Thanks!
This salad is just perfect! It has really great flavor and is really fast to put together too. I took a double batch to a neighborhood party and had many compliments! -Liz K.
It is beautiful and sounds super delicious! I so love this site!
Liz – thanks for trying this and letting me know what you think (I’ve loved getting all the comments today). I’ll let my aunt know you liked it!
Melody – thanks for letting me know that this worked out and you liked it, without the basil leaves and pesto even! It is a pretty forgiving pasta salad. Glad you liked it!
I love pasta salads! They’re great at picnics in the summertime, which will be right around the corner before you know it!
I love the idea of the creamy dressing along with the pine nuts, pesto, and fresh basil. Thta definitely takes it up from your traditional italian past salad.
ooh, I bet that pesto with caesar is so yummy together. This looks like a yummy, simple meal. I’m gonna put it on my to-try list!
The salad look great I can’t wait to try.
I love pasta salads, and this looks great. I love the addition of the pine nuts.
I just found your blog and I’m so happy because I was in need of a new food blog for recipes. Everything looks so good. I’ll definitely be trying a lot of your yummy stuff out.Thank! http://www.sadieskitchen.blogspot.com
I made this today but without the whole basil leaves & basil pesto…I could not find either in the grocery store, but I think it turned out fine. I didn’t have time to go to the “fancy” store!
This sounds great. My husband loves pasta salad and I am always looking for new ways to make it.
I love pasta salad and the addition of ceasar dressing and pesto sounds so good!
Bonnie – thanks for trying it so soon and letting me know you liked it! I agree that the pine nuts add a special touch.
Anonymous – you can definitely prepare this the night before. When you take it out to serve it, you may need to add a little extra dressing to moisten everything up. Also, on the pesto, it is a delicious flavor in the salad but I know some have tried it without and have liked it, too.
Anonymous – glad this was a hit! It is a perfect pasta salad for a BBQ. Thanks for letting me know it turned out well.
I love pasta salads! This one has it all!
I just printed this off. Can’t wait.Now I’m off to eaT MORE chowder. Thank the Lord for one more bowl !! Yipppeeee !!
I’ve had this with Italian dressing but I think the Caesar would be so much better. Can’t wait to try it!
confession: tricolor pasta salad made the exact same way as regular pasta salad tastes better to me. i guess i’m partial to color.
mini-mcgoo – so glad this pasta salad was a hit! Thanks for letting me know and I hope you find some other great recipes to try on the blog. Your comment made me smile, thanks!
Ah ha! I’ve found it! I was on the prowl for a great pasta salad recipe…and i’m partial to black olives…well and basil, pesto, parmesan…all of it really. Thanks for being a great source of inspiration. The salad was a hit at our company Christmas party. I will be making it again and again.
Hey, what else you got on this blog? I have some investigating for my freezable meal planning makeover.
where is everyone buying pine nuts?? Because I’m doubling this recipe for a work luncheon, and to get 3 cups of pinenuts at our local grocery store would have cost over $20??!! Couldn’t believe that… I was a bit bummed, because I’m very much a girl who likes to follow recipes exactly how they are… ended up ditching the pine nuts.
Katie – you know, I actually noticed the other day that pine nuts have nearly quadrupled in cost over the last year. I don’t know why, but they were definitely a lot cheaper when I made this dish since I wouldn’t have spent 20 dollars either. Yikes! I hope it still tasted ok without them (and I bet it did).
made the salad tonight and snuck a taste- its fab
even without the pine nuts. Thanks Mel, another good recipe from you!
Thanks, Katie – glad it was ok without the pine nuts!
I’m anxious to try this yum pasta, but just curious!? What brand of ceasar dressing did you use? I get confused with all the different types out there. Is there a certain brand you recommend?
Hi Linda – I’ve bought several brands over the years while making this salad. One that I like a lot is the Newman’s brand.
Another FANTASGREAT recipe!
I added some cubed Pepperjack cheese to it too and it made it all that more tasty. Can’t have enough cheese in things in this family.
Anissa – oh, pepperjack sounds delicious in this salad! I agree, we can’t get enough of cheese, either.
Hi Mel,
This is sooooo good!! I am generally not a fan of pasta salad. I was given the assignment to make pasta salad for a BBQ I went to and it was a hit! I can’t imagine the salad without the pesto and fresh basil. It adds so much, and totally made the salad for me. Will be making again tonight…just for myself.
Hi Sophie – thanks for checking in on this recipe! I’m so glad you like this salad, especially since you aren’t normally a fan of pasta salad. I agree that the pesto and fresh basil are absolutely necessary!
We had this the other night with your lemon garlic chicken. YUMMY! I am usually lukewarm when it comes to pasta salad. It’s not that I don’t like it, but I find most are a bit lacking in the flavor category. This, however, was full of flavor. I LOVED the pesto and fresh basil-really, can you ever go wrong with fresh basil? It had just the right amount of dressing. You and Aunt Marilyn have done it again!
Danielle – it’s nice to hear all these somewhat anti-pasta-salad fans have liked this! Thanks for letting me know this was a hit!
This recipe sounds so good. I want to make it for a BBQ’D tomorrow night. Wwhere do you find the pesto? I have not ever bought pesto before and I don’t know where to find it.
We loved this recipe! I dropped the red onions and pine nuts and replaced them with sliced Italian sausage and replaced the garlic powder with a touch of fresh pressed garlic. It was a big hit with our dinner guests and my family loved it! I am SOOO loving this site!
Amy – love your changes, thanks for letting me know!
Beth – I find the pesto above the spaghetti sauce in the grocery store.
I just made this for our Father’s Day barbecue. Thanks for the great recipe! I did sub green onions for the red because my hubby is picky about onions. I used the fresh pesto from sam’s club. I am really picky about my pasta salad, but this recipe is a keeper!
Alycia – thanks for checking in on this recipe. I’m glad that it was a hit for Father’s Day!
I just made this for our Father’s Day get-together as well. It was a hit! So yummy and full of flavor. We loved it. Thank you Mel.
Hi Linda – thanks for checking in to let me know this salad worked out well!
Hi – This sounds yummy – how many servings would you say this recipe makes?
Thanks and can’t wait to try it!
So I have 2 things to say
1-Your blog has become my go to site for all my recipe needs. I needed some BBQ side dishes and came here and was not disappointed. Seriously, every recipe I have ever tried here become my new favorite (fill in the blank) Keep these awesome recipes coming.
2-I messed this salad up and it was still waaaay better then any version I have ever had. I saw the 2 tsp. of equal parts of garlic, salt & pepper. I was a tad hungover and couldnt handle the math so I figured I would do 1/2 tsps of all 3 and leave it at that. I grabbed the 1/2 TABLESPOON, instead and didnt realize it until I had already poured it all in and mixed it. oopsie!!!!! I thought all hope was lost but I put some extra dressing in, and some more cheese and it came out AWESOME. The flavor was strong, but not strong enough that my 19 month old daughter couldnt inhale it. I also just realized I forgot to even put in the really expensive pine nuts I bought……maybe next time! Because I will be making this again and again and again. Your Aunt is a genius, thanks for such a great recipe for such a what is normally a blah side dish
Juliann – thanks so much for your comment! I’m thrilled you have loved the recipes you have tried before and I’m especially glad that despite the over-seasoning, this salad still tasted great! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Krysta – this serves probably 6-8 as a side dish.
Ok, this is amazing! I made it with your Green Goddess dressing that I had leftover because I didn’t feel like making a Caesar dressing and didn’t want to go to the grocery. Anyway, it turned out awesome. I also subbed a salad cucumber for the olives since we’re not olive fans.
I think I have made half the recipes on your site since I discovered it a couple months ago. Moo Shu noodles were amazing last night and pretty much everything else we have loved as well. I refer to you as “my new friend Mel” when my husband asks where the recipe came from.
Thank you!!!!
Sara – what a great idea to use the green goddess dressing for the pasta salad. I’m definitely going to try it! I’m thrilled that you have been happy with the recipes you have tried! I’ll take your claim to be friends – you tell your husband it’s legit!
mel – do you serve this warm, or cold? i was slightly confused when you said to pour the dressing over the pasta while it was warm, I thought this was a cold salad? By the way…I LOVE your website…everything I have tried I have loved!
also Mel – I noticed when you were describing the salad you mentioned the dressing was made of ranch and pesto, but in the ingredients creamy ceasar is listed? which one should i use?
Hi Tiffany – I usually serve this at room temperature or cold. I pour the dressing over the pasta warm and let it cool. I think ranch could be substituted – I used the term “creamy ranch” to describe the bottled dressing I usually buy (the Newman’s brand of Creamy Caesar tastes a little ranch-like).
This is fantastic! I just made it for my BBQ tomorrow and I just want to eat it now! I used Ken’s lite creamy Caesar and reduced fat pesto to save a few calories and it is still delicious! I also substituted toasted blanched almonds for the pine nuts to save s few dollars. Thanks again for a great recipe!
AWESOME. Our new favorite pasta salad. I don’t think I’ll ever make the plain old pasta salad with italian dressing after making this. It’s incredible. I forgot to add the cheese and it was still awesome!
This was delicious! Thanks Mel!