Red White Blue Pasta Salad (Print-Friendly Version)

Vibrant pasta salad with rotini, juicy tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoni, and olives in zesty Italian dressing.

# Ingredients:

→ Salad Base

01 - 450 g rotini pasta
02 - Red liquid food coloring
03 - Blue liquid food coloring

→ Add-ins

04 - 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 150 g mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
06 - 100 g sliced pepperoni
07 - 70 g black olives, sliced

→ Dressing & Garnish

08 - 120 ml Italian dressing
09 - Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish

# Steps:

01 - Boil rotini pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain thoroughly using a colander.
02 - Divide the drained pasta into three equal portions. In two resealable plastic bags, mix a few drops of red food coloring with a splash of water in one, and blue food coloring with water in the other. Add one-third of the pasta to each bag, seal, and gently knead until the pasta is evenly colored. Leave the remaining third uncolored.
03 - Toss the uncolored portion of pasta with a drizzle of olive oil to minimize dye transfer when mixing.
04 - In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the red, blue, and uncolored pasta along with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cubes, sliced pepperoni, and black olives.
05 - Pour Italian dressing over the mixture and gently toss to coat all ingredients evenly.
06 - Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to meld. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley before serving.

# Notes & Tips:

01 - For brighter pasta colors, use gloves when handling dyed pasta to prevent staining your hands.