Tri-Color Pasta Salad
Simple to prepare, this tri-color pasta salad is the best. The creamy dressing, with a hint of pesto, is so flavorful and delicious!
I can’t think of a time that I’ve made this pasta salad and it hasn’t been met with rave reviews. It is one of my favorite pasta salads ever!
A Few Key Ingredients
There are a couple of ingredients in this pasta salad recipe that elevate it beyond your every day (sometimes boring) pasta salad.
- Tri-color rotini: while you can substitute other types of pasta in this salad, tri-color rotini adds a tasty and colorful dimension
- Caesar salad dressing: we’re relying on prepared salad dressing here, and the creamy, garlicky flavors in Caesar dressing are exceptional
- Pesto: I highly recommend using refrigerated pesto, if you can, for a much brighter, fresher flavor
- Pine nuts: toasted pine nuts are one of life’s glorious blessings
- Fresh basil: adds a pop of color and snappy flavor
This tri-color pasta salad is gorgeously colorful, but more importantly, it has layers of flavor built into every delicious bite. IT IS SO, SO GOOD.
Make-Ahead Tips
This pasta salad can be made ahead of time. I recommend making it no more than four hours ahead of time, although you can probably stretch that to about eight hours.
If making the salad ahead:
- leave off the pine nuts and fresh basil, and add those right before serving.
- plan on drizzling a bit more dressing over the pasta salad before serving as it will likely dry out a bit if it is made several hours in advance.
- try not to sneak in the fridge and eat the whole thing before it’s time to serve; that would be a bummer for everyone else.
Perfect for literally almost any occasion, I turn to this tri-color pasta salad recipe nearly every time I am called upon to make a pasta salad for a get together (or just for my family).
There are so many rave reviews on this salad!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I make this often, and it’s really versatile. I took your recommendation and used sunflower seeds because we were out of pine nuts. So good! I will often grill up some chicken and serve it all as a meal with your focaccia bread. Perfect for summer! -Angela
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This has become my “go to ” salad! Funeral luncheons, BBQ’s…..anywhere!
LOVE IT! -Karla
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Usually I don’t even like pasta salad. It’s one of those things that someone brings to a potluck and I never taste it because I’m always disappointed. Somehow this pasta salad recipe is different for me. It taste really good and it’s the only one I ever make now. -Amy
One Year Ago: Coconut Lime Chicken and Zucchini
Two Years Ago: Cowboy Cookies {New and Improved}
Three Years Ago: Blueberry Muffin Bread
Four Years Ago: Soft Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Frosting {No Rolling or Cutting Out}
Five Years Ago: Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie
Six Years Ago: One Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta
Seven Years Ago: The Best Zucchini Bread
Eight Years Ago: The Best Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Nine Years Ago: Skillet Zucchini and Yellow Squash {My Fave Summer Side}
Ten Years Ago: Sweet Corn Salad with Radishes, Jalapeno and Lime
Tri-Color Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12-ounce package tri-color rotini pasta
- ⅔ to 1 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing (see note)
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 (6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion or green onions
- ¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 6-10 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips or torn into pieces, plus more for garnish, if desired
- ¼ cup basil pesto (see note)
- ½ to 1 cup toasted pine nuts, optional (see note)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water until al dente, according to package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the dressing and toss to evenly coat the warm pasta.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pasta, except for the pine nuts and extra basil. Toss to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 4 hours). If the pasta salad seems dry after refrigerating, add a little more Caesar dressing and stir to combine.
- Before serving, top with pine nuts and fresh basil.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from my Aunt Marilyn
Recipe originally posted September 2016; updated September 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
Usually I don’t even like pasta salad. It’s one of those things that someone brings to a potluck and I never taste it because I’m always disappointed. Somehow this pasta salad recipe is different for me. It taste really good and it’s the only one I ever make now.
And sweet onions
I also use tri colored pasta with my homemade recipe. I like using Swiss, American, and sharp cheddar cheese. The eats are pepperoni, cooked ham luchmeat sliced @1/4 in. And then sliced i to small cubes.OAlso use tri colored peppers and sliced grape tomatoes,and celery seed.I use Wishbone Italian Robust Dressing. The trick is knowing how much dressing to use. Let sit in fridge over nite and the pasta will absorb the dressing at this point you will know if you need more. I normally use 2 16 oz bottles, but I make enough to fill the old green Tupperware celery container.r
So you Actually did Not make this salad.
Hahahaha!
OMG i loved this salad
Oh my! I can see why this is your favorite pasta salad. I couldn’t eat enough of it and my guests loved it. I will be making it many more times! Thanks!
Great flavor! My new favorite pasta salad!
Oh my gosh, the flavors are incredibly good. And it’s fairly simple to make.
I made it and it was fantastic!
I am making this for a camping trip but it won’t be eaten until night two. Would it be best to prep all the ingredients beforehand and then mix them all together when we are ready to eat it?
Yes, I think that’s what I’d do – otherwise, reserve some dressing or bring extra to mix before serving as it tends to be a bit dry on the 2nd day (if premixed).
Absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it. Making it again!
So Yumm!! Have made this several times and love love love it! I use cherry tomatoes cut in half but other than that I wouldn’t change a single thing! Thanks Mel!
What brand of pesto do you recommend? Thanks!
I like the refrigerated pesto from Costco (Kirkland brand).
Hi Mel
I made your salad just like you did and it was amazingly good.
I was wondering if you can tell me how many calories are in this salad made just like your recipe including the pine nuts.
I would really appreciated.
Thank you
Odie
I don’t have the nutritional info – sorry!
Does anyone know how many calories? The exact way as Mel’s, including the pine nuts. Thanks Mel for sharing.
I bought Basil Pesto small jar from Prego.
Put the recipe in a calorie counter. Lots of free ones online.
Sooo good!
My new favorite pasta salad!
My very favorite pasta salad! So good and always gets rave reviews from guests!
What brand of “creamy Ceasar dressing” do you recommend?
I like Breanne’s or Newman’s Own.
Mel, This salad is wonderful! I made it exactly as you wrote it. We are not pasta salad eaters, but we will make this one again and again. Incidently, I Found Organic Pine Nuts @ Sam’s Club (Member’s Mark brand) – 3 lb (3 Cups), for less than $14.00.
Thank you for another “Tried and True” recipe!
This is by far the best pasta salad I have every had! Everyone loved it!
Thank you!
I have made the recipe several times, and it is great. Since I like to tweak virtually every recipe I make, I substituted green stuffed-pimento olives for the black ones, and used sliced cherry tomatoes since they were growing in my garden. I skipped adding pine nuts, since I reached into a bag of pine nuts while watching t.v., and bit down on a piece of metal that was in the bag, which split one of my molars in half, costing me hundreds of dollars to save the tooth. I haven’t eaten another pine nut in 14 years.
How far in advance can you make this salad? Looks yummy!
Probably 8-12 hours (you may want to add more dressing right before serving if making ahead of time so it isn’t dry, and add the pine nuts right before serving).
Delish!!!
Thank you for sharing❤️
I will only have a couple hours to chill this, will it still be good? Thanks!
Sure, it should be fine.
I have been making this pasta salad for quit awhile now, so I thought I would comment. IT IS THE BEST!!! No question! Thank you for a wonderful GO TO pasta salad!
Thanks, Krista! 🙂
I am so glad I found his recipe in my long search for the perfect pasta salad! I have tried so many recipes that are just”ho hum”. THIS ONE is now going to be my go to anytime I am craving pasta salad. I just made it for a 4th of July party. I doubled the recipe so I could reserve some for home too. I love the fresh basil, pesto and the pine nuts, these ingredients are a must! ……it wouldn’t be as awesome as it is without them!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks, Kim – this is such a huge favorite of ours, too. Glad you loved it!
This is now also my favorite pasta salad. Thanks for a delicious recipe! I was brave and made this for company one night with the pretzel rolls (made into Reubens) and got rave reviews on both! Love your website!!!
Yum!
I am IN LOVE with this recipe. I make it almost weekly. THANK YOU!!
Mel, I am thinking of making this for a graduation and would love to have it prepared the night before. Have you tried making this ahead of time. If so, does the flavor improve or is it better fresh?
Yes, I have prepared the night before. It works pretty well…but I find the salad is a little dry the next day so I pour on a little extra dressing and mix it up and that seems to work well.
This pasta salad is delicious but I have to say mine was not creamy! I followed it to a “T”
and used “Newmans Own”. I wonder if I did something wrong or is it supposed to be that way. Right before serving I did add more dressing but it just absorbed into the pasta very quickly and there was a lot of oil collected in the bottom of my dish. But we loved it!
Hey, Melanie! I made this this week for a lunch at the church…so good! Thank you!
Hi Mel, I’m new to your blog and happily bought your recent e-cookbook. The recipe on the cover (cashew chicken) was fabulous- as was this pasta salad I made last night! I followed the recipe to a “t”, and highly recommend everyone do! Yes, the basil and pesto are important, people. The pine nuts take it to the next level. I love a little meat in my pasta salad, so I thinly sliced a little calbrese salami (just a little) and added it as well. It’s a winner and in my rotation now- thank you so much!!!
So happy to hear that, Kristen! Thank you!
I am going to make this for tailgating at a baseball game on Labor Day. I’m definitely going to use the sunflower seeds and I have an abundance of tomatoes and basil in the garden. My question is what variety of basil do you suggest. I have two types of lemon basil, the typical genovese and a sweet basil. When I make pesto I usually use a mixture of all of them with a bunch of parsley, too. I think I’ll try the lemon for the fresh topping and come back after I’ve tried it and post, but if anyone has tried a particular favorite, I would appreciate the info. We are also going to have the Magnolia Lemon Cream Pie. I know it is all going to be delicious, I am drooling just thinking about it. GO BREWERS!!! LONG LIVE HANK!!!
This pasta salad is amazing! I’m allergic to tomatoes, so I sub with roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts. And definitely use a creamy Caesar. I subbed with a regular Caesar once and it wasn’t nearly as good. Love you and your recipes, Mel! They rarely let me down!
I think this was one of the very first recipes I made from your blog! I love it warm.
I’ve been making this pasta salad all summer, and it really is the best pasta salad out there! (I have yet to make it with the pine nuts though because I have not been willing to pay for them.)
Like many of your readers, I’ve made this pasta salad countless times. I’ve made it with and without pine nuts. It’s good either way, but best with the pine nuts. I’ve had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Thanks Mel!
I know this is an old post, but I gotta comment on it. The first time I made this, I didn’t have pesto, basil, or pine nuts. It was ok. This time around I used everything, but I had to use green onion in place of the red because I didn’t have one. For all of you asking about leaving the pesto out, I highly recommend using it. Unless you are alergic to it, then there is no excuse (☺). I have had good luck finding it with the refrigerated pasta & specialty meats and cheese. This salad is delicious! I will be making it again, and maybe adding some grilled chicken for a complete meal.
So i accidentally bought newman’s regular caesar instead of newman’s creamy caesar. Do you think that will be ok?
I’m not familiar with that type of dressing, April, but it’s probably worth a try.
I’ve been looking for really good shrimp with tricolor pasta and stumbled upon this site. After reading the ingredients, this sounds like a hit! Fresh basil and pesto caught my attention. Oh, can’t forget the pine nuts.
Hi Melanie,
I’ve been looking for really good shrimp with tricolor pasta and stumbled upon this site. After reading the ingredients, this sounds like a hit. Fresh basil and pesto caught my attention. Oh, can’t forget the pine nuts.
I never thought I would dream about pasta salad, but this stuff is delicious! I am making it for the third time this month to take to a neighborhood BBQ- almost against my own will because I don’t want to share it with anyone else! I’ve put cold salmon on the leftovers before for a filling and delicious lunch. Yum!
I’m late to this salad party. Made this last night with a bunch of 12 year olds for girl’s camp cooking certification in our stake–along with our now favorite sloppy joes from your “best” category. We made those as sliders. This salad is Winner Winner. The rest of the leaders were gathered around eating it all. Loved it. When I told them where I found the recipe, several were already fans of yours. You are famous. 🙂
Thank you for another great meal–I can always trust your recipes.
I am having a pot luck at my work on saturday (a going away party for one of the stylists at my salon) and I think I am gonna give this a whirl! Stumbled upon your site after searching for an hour for pasta salad and I am glad I did 🙂 I have a famous, basic-ish but with personal twists ;), go-to pasta salad recipe that is always a hit, but its starting to BORE me lol… who doesnt love pesto and caesar? I am thinking of using grape tomatoes instead, and maybe adding fresh spinich, jarred chopped roasted red peppers, and marinated atrichoke hearts. Knowing the flavor do you think that will work?? Also… thinking of using toasted chopped almonds, hazelnuts, or maybe even sunflower kernals to save $$ replacing pinenuts 🙂 im sure all the girls at the shop will love your recipe!! I will keep ya posted!
Hi Chelsea – glad you found your way here! I think your additions sound awesome and I bet they’ll pair very well with the flavors. Of all the crunch you suggested, I’d definitely go with sunflower seeds. I’ve used them before in place of pine nuts and they are delicious. Hope everyone like the salad!
I’m just curious…where did the term saute seasoning come from? Is that a standard spice you use in other things? Thanks.
Zella – It’s a seasoning my Aunt Marilyn uses all the time and since she gave me the recipe, I’ve kept the terminology. I use it for an all purpose meat seasoning sometimes, too.
Can the creamy Caesar dressing be used if you added salami and artichokes? It sounds wonderful, but I don’t want to leave the meat out, and I have only seen the meat with the Italian dressing. I need to shop for a party soon.
Hi Ruth – I’ve never added salami and artichokes so you’ll have to experiment with the dressing. I think it would work fine but I”m not too particular about using Italian dressing in pasta salads. Good luck!
Sara – my main rule of thumb is to stay away from generic. I’ve had bad luck using those but I’ve used Newman’s Own and several others (can’t remember brands right off the top of my head) with good results.
Mel- this looks delicious! What bottled creamy Caesar salad dressing would you recommend/use?
After I had submitted my question, I had read the rest of the comments and saw that someone else had asked the same thing. Thanks for the response.
Made it this weekend and it was dee-lish. It’ll be my go-to recipe for a potluck pasta salad.
Thanks,
Lisa
Lisa – it is creamy Caesar dressing used int he recipe.
Making this on Saturday for a family gathering…can’t wait. In the notes, you mention creamy ranch dressing but in the actual recipe, you mention creamy Caesar. Which dressing should I use?
Thanks,
Lisa
Serena – I would say this serves about 6-8 as a side dish.