Name: Easy Potluck Pasta Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 ounces Tri-color bow tie pasta, cooked according to package instructions; 8 ounces pepperoni, cubed; 8 ounces Cheddar Jack cheese, cubed; 1 can black olives, sliced; 6 ounces matchstick carrots; 2 large sweet onions, chopped; 2 large green peppers, chopped; 2 English cucumber, chopped; 8 ounces cherry tomatoes; 2 bottles of store brand Italian dressing

Easy Potluck Pasta Salad is a great potluck salad bowl, with olives, cheese, pepperoni, peppers and much more. Easy to transport, by far the best salad to take to a party!

Easy Potluck Pasta Salad! This recipe is such a yummy one! Here, one of our Lovefoodies friends, Cathy Kopp was attending a potluck party in her local park and this is what she chose to take. Of course, it went down an absolute hit and was so popular, I am pretty sure Cathy will be making it again and again.

This is a Mediterranean-inspired pasta salad. You'll see from the ingredients there's a variety of delicious olives, peppers, pepperoni, cheese, cherry tomatoes, and much more, all coated in a ready-made Italian dressing for ease and quickness.

Table of Contents 📋 hide

1) Can I use substitutes?

2) Can I make ahead a potluck salad?

9) Easy Potluck Pasta Salad

10) Delicious Salad Ideas

Can I use substitutes?

The ingredients are so flexible, so if you see any that you don't care for, feel free to swap them for something else. For example, don't like tri-color bow tie pasta? Use elbow macaroni. Switch salami for the pepperoni. Use sweet red pepper instead of green. Don't like cucumbers? Don't use it! Make it your own!

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This salad really doesn't take long to prepare and if you need to make something ahead of time, this would be perfect as you can refrigerate and then simply transport it in your covered party salad bowl. So yes, this salad travels really well too.

For the dressing, just keep it in the container or bottle and add to the salad when you reach your party. This is so convenient and that's why it's a good dish to bring along to a potluck.

Can I make ahead a potluck salad?

Yes of course you can make this salad ahead. All you need to do is refrigerate, and then add the dressing when you arrive at your destination. Alternatively, if you have a tightly sealed container lid, you can add the dressing before traveling.

If you're looking to make a variety of salads, check out Cathy's popular corn and cucumber picnic salad and her Potato and Egg Salad. So delicious!

So please enjoy and do let us know if you added anything different. We always love to hear what changes people make and love all the ideas you share with us.

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

Nil

Serves

Recipe By Cathy Kopp

Ingredients

16 ounces Tri-color bow tie pasta, cooked according to package instructions
8 ounces pepperoni, cubed
8 ounces Cheddar Jack cheese, cubed
1 can black olives, sliced
6 ounces matchstick carrots
2 large sweet onions, chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 English cucumber, chopped
8 ounces cherry tomatoes
2 bottles of store brand Italian dressing

Instructions

1. Prepare the salad as described in the ingredients list.

2. When you have cooked the pasta according to the package instructions, drain, and whilst the pasta is still hot, transfer it to a large salad bowl and add 1 bottle of the Italian dressing. Allow the pasta to cool before the next step.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the salad bowl and add the 2nd bottle of Italian Dressing. Mix well so everything has a good coating.

4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Easy Potluck Pasta Salad

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Easy Potluck Pasta Salad is a great potluck salad bowl, with olives, cheese, pepperoni, peppers and much more. Easy to transport, by far the best salad to take to a party!

Ingredients

16 ounces Tri-color bow tie pasta, cooked according to package instructions
8 ounces pepperoni, cubed
8 ounces Cheddar Jack cheese, cubed
1 can black olives, sliced
6 ounces matchstick carrots
2 large sweet onions, chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 English cucumber, chopped
8 ounces cherry tomatoes
2 bottles of store brand Italian dressing

Instructions

Prepare the salad as described in the ingredients list.
When you have cooked the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and whilst the pasta is still hot, transfer to a large salad bowl and add 1 bottle of the Italian dressing. Allow the pasta to cool before the next step.
Add the remaining ingredients to the salad bowl and add the 2nd bottle of Italian Dressing. Mix well so everything has a good coating.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.