This Instant Pot Pasta Salad Recipe is delightful! It has so much built-in flavor from the rotini being cooked in Italian Dressing. The pasta salad is then stocked full of salami, feta cheese, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Did someone say picnic?!
This Instant Pot Pasta Salad is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes. It cooks quickly, tastes delicious, and is always a big hit. You can make this pasta salad if you want to entertain a group, but it’s also great for even serving at dinner. It’s currently tied with my Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi for my favorite Instant Pot Recipe !
In this recipe, the pasta cooks directly in the Italian dressing, giving so much flavor to the noodles! With only a 6 minute cooking time, an easy Italian pasta salad doesn’t get better than this! And the best part is that it’s a great side dish full of fresh vegetables and simple ingredients.
Why Make this Recipe
- Good for a Picnic: This dish is perfect for a picnic because it is hearty, but is best enjoyed cold.
- Customizable: I threw my recipe together with what I had on hand, but keep reading for some really delicious ways to customize your Instant Pot Pasta Salad!
- Hands Off: Cooking the recipe in the Instant Pot means that it is a hands off option for cooking pasta!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Rotini Noodles: Rotini noodles are good for this recipe because they hold the sauce. You can also use other noodles if you wish, but I recommend spiral ones if possible! If you choose another noodle, make sure to look up the correct cook time online.
- Italian Dressing: I like to use store bought Italian dressing for ease of preparation, but you can also make it from scratch if you’d like. Feel free to try this Italian dressing recipe, but omit the parmesan cheese!
- Feta Cheese: You can use pre-crumbled feta cheese or buy a block and crumble it yourself!
- Bell Pepper: I use orange bell pepper, but feel free to choose another color if you’d like that better!
- Salami: I cut each slice of salami into 8ths for perfectly sized pieces.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Cut your cherry tomatoes into halves.
Tools
- Instant Pot: You can use an Instant Pot or another electric pressure cooker.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
Open the lid of your Instant Pot, and add the Italian dressing and the chicken broth. Add the noodles into the Pot, making sure that all of the noodles are covered by the liquid.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and turn it to HIGH for 6 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is complete, perform a Quick Release.
Step 2: Cool the Pasta
Pour the noodles and the extra liquid into a bowl, and place in the fridge for about a half an hour.
At the end of the half hour, check on your noodles. They should be cold and should have absorbed the rest of the liquid in the bowl.
Step 3: Add the Mix-Ins
Add the bell peppers, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and salami. Stir and enjoy!
If you like a stronger Italian dressing flavor or more liquid in your pasta salad, you can add ½ cup of Italian dressing into the bowl after tasting and stir.
Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!
Customizing your Recipe
You can definitely customize your Italian Pasta salad and add anything else that sounds good! Here is a list of some great ingredients you can add to your pasta salad if you’d like:
- Olives
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Red Onion
- Pepperoncini
- Parsley
- Zucchini
- Green Onions
- Basil
- Lemon Juice
If you want a different pasta salad altogether, try this delicious Taco Pasta Salad!
Pasta Salad vs Macaroni Salad
Though the terms are used interchangeably, pasta salad is actually different than macaroni salad. Pasta salad is made using penne or rotini noodles, and the pasta is usually served with an oil-based dressing.
Macaroni salad is normally made with elbow macaroni noodles and is served with a mayonnaise-based dressing. If you want to taste the difference, check out this Instant Pot Macaroni Salad recipe.
Expert Tips
- If you do not want to cook your pasta in chicken broth, you can also use cold water.
- If you don’t like italian dressing, you can add any other salad dressing that sounds good to you!
- Save the leftovers for an easy lunch to take to work
How to Cook this Recipe on the Stovetop
You can also use the same measurements but add a little more chicken broth to a stovetop version instead of using an Instant Pot.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! The great thing about Pasta Salad is that it’s meant to be eaten cold. This means that you can make it whenever is best for you, and then store it in the fridge until it’s time to enjoy!
My best recommendation would be to cook the pasta the night before and store in the fridge. Then, on the day you want to eat it, add the rest of the topping ingredients (bell pepper, tomatoes, feta cheese, salami).
However, if your only option is to make everything ahead of time, that certainly is a safe and delicious option! Ultimately, you can do whatever is best for you!
This is a great dish to take on picnics in the park because it’s hearty but doesn’t need to be warm to enjoy. You can also serve it at graduation parties or as a side dish at summer barbecues.
And, hey, if you want to eat this pasta salad when it’s snowing outside…. I’m not judging!
This dish is great as an appetizer or as a side dish for a fresh and healthy dinner. But if you’re looking for something a little lighter, you can also serve it as a main dish, particularly for lunch.
I chose the ingredients that I chose because I had them on hand. If you want to include any of these other ingredients, those would be great options!
Your Instant Pot Pasta Salad should last in the fridge for about 5-7 days. This is, of course, only if the veggies that you add into your salad are fresh! Keep an eye on the vegetables in the dish. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the less fresh they will become.
Did you enjoy this Instant Pot Pasta Salad? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Instant Pot Pizza Pasta Bake
- Instant Pot Pasta with Palomino Sauce
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
Instant Pot Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Mixing Bowl(s)
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry rotini noodles
- 1 cup Italian dressing
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 oz salami, cut into pieces
Instructions
- Open the lid of your Instant Pot, and add 1 cup Italian dressing and 2 cups chicken broth. Add 8 oz noodles into the Pot, making sure that all of the noodles are covered by the liquid. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and turn it to HIGH for 6 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is complete, perform a Quick Release.
- Pour the noodles and the extra liquid into a bowl, and place in the fridge for about a half an hour.
- At the end of the half hour, check on your noodles. They should be cold and should have absorbed the rest of the liquid in the bowl.
- Add 1 cut up bell pepper, 1 cup feta cheese, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, and 3 oz salami. Stir and enjoy! If you like a stronger Italian dressing flavor or more liquid in your pasta salad, you can add ½ cup of Italian dressing into the bowl after tasting and stir.
- Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!
Video
Notes
- Italian Dressing: I like to use store bought Italian dressing for ease of preparation, but you can also make it from scratch if you’d like. Feel free to try this Italian dressing recipe, but omit the parmesan cheese!
- Feta Cheese: You can use pre-crumbled feta cheese or buy a block and crumble it yourself!
- Bell Pepper: I use orange bell pepper, but feel free to choose another color if you’d like that better!
- Salami: I cut each slice of salami into 8ths for perfectly sized pieces.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Cut your cherry tomatoes into halves
- If you do not want to cook your pasta in chicken broth, you can also use cold water.
- If you don’t like italian dressing, you can add any other salad dressing that sounds good to you!
- Save the leftovers for an easy lunch to take to work
Nutrition
Jim says
2nd time making this in a week. I love it. Added some red onion just because.
The Foreign Fork says
So glad you liked it Jim!! Thank you for leaving a comment 🙂
Carla says
I tried this today and I just love the idea and convenience. The only thing I might change the next time is the amount of dressing. While it tastes real good the dressing is a little overpowering. I’m sure that would be a different case if using a different salad dressing so I’d have to play it by ear (or even taste) . Thanks for a great idea.
The Foreign Fork says
I’m so glad you loved it Carla! Yes, you can definitely adjust the amount of dressing to fit whatever taste you’d like. Just make sure replace the missing dressing with chicken broth so that the noodles don’t burn!:) Thanks for leaving a comment. XX Alexandria
Brigitte says
When I opened my IP and the bottom of the pot was scorched!! My dinner was ruined. What did I do wrong?
The Foreign Fork says
Hey Brigitte! It’s hard to tell, though 3 cups of water/broth for 8 oz of pasta is standard in the Instant Pot and should never burn. Did you maybe add less liquid or more noodles on accident? Or maybe add the cheese into the pot instead of just on top after the cooking was done? Every once in a while altitude affects how things cook, but it shouldn’t scorch your pasta. I’m wondering if maybe a measurement just got messed up by mistake!