Pasta Salad for a Crowd
This colorful and flavorful pasta salad is perfect for feeding a large gathering, from potlucks to family reunions. Packed with fresh vegetables, creamy mozzarella, and tangy Italian dressing, it’s a versatile, make-ahead dish that only gets better as it chills. Serve it straight from the fridge for a refreshing, crowd-pleasing side!
Servings: 100
Calories: 157kcal
Ingredients
- 4 pounds multi-colored rotini pasta
- 64 ounces Italian dressing
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 32 ounces mozzarella cheese cut into small cubes
- 40 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 green bell peppers diced
- 3 red bell peppers diced
- 36 ounces sliced black olives drained
Instructions
- Cook half of the rotini pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Repeat with the second half of the pasta.
- In a very large bowl, place half of the cooked pasta.
- Pour half of the Italian dressing over the pasta and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir well with a long-handled spoon.
- Add half of the mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and black olives. Stir to combine.
- Repeat the process with the remaining pasta, dressing, salt, pepper, mozzarella, tomatoes, peppers, and olives. Stir everything together thoroughly to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Divide the pasta salad into 2 or more large foil pans for easier storage. Cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- For best flavor, prepare the pasta salad 24 hours in advance to allow the pasta to absorb the dressing and the flavors to meld.
- Before serving, check if the pasta salad appears dry. If needed, stir in extra Italian dressing to refresh the salad. Serve chilled.
Notes
Mixing Tip: Combining the salad in smaller batches helps ensure even distribution of ingredients and dressing.
Make-Ahead: This pasta salad tastes even better after chilling for a day, allowing the flavors to blend.
Extra Dressing: Keep an additional bottle of Italian dressing on hand in case the salad needs refreshing before serving.