Italian Pasta Salad

This chilled Instant Pot Pasta Salad, made with fresh cucumber, tomatoes, and parmesan, is dressed with Italian dressing and makes a great make-ahead barbecue side dish. 

We’ve been making pasta in the Instant Pot for years, and we love entertaining in the summer, so it makes sense to make a refreshing chilled pasta salad for barbecues and cookouts.

I love using the Instant Pot to make this pasta salad because I can cook the pasta and veggies and dress the salad all in the pressure cooking pot. It transports nicely in the cooking pot as well.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Grab these ingredients to make the best Instant Pot pasta salad:

• Rotini. You’ll use a full box of short-cut pasta for this salad. 
• Carrots. We like to buy pre-cut matchstick carrots. 
• Veggies. We like a mixture of yellow squash, cucumber, green onions, and grape or cherry tomatoes. 
• Cheese. Our favorite is Parmesan. 
• Parsley. For a delicious and fresh pop of herby flavor.
• Lemon zest. This is optional but adds some nice brightness to the salad. 
• Italian dressing. We use Olive Garden’s Signature Italian

If you’re looking for a more traditional macaroni salad that includes hard-boiled eggs, try our Amish Pasta Salad. You can use it as a base and dress the salad with your favorite flavors.

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad in an Instant Pot

✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

You’ll start by cooking the pasta in the pressure cooker. Add the noodles, water, and salt to the pot and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then release the valve with a quick pressure release. 

Next, carefully remove the pressure cooking pot from the Instant Pot housing. Reserve some of the pasta water in the pot, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, along with the squash and carrots. Place the lid on top and let the veggies soften up for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir in about two-thirds of the Italian dressing. 

Cool the pasta salad to room temperature. You can serve this dish at room temperature or chill it in the fridge. (Note that if you chill it, let the salad come up to room temperature for about half an hour before serving so the dressing loosens up a bit). 

When you’re ready to dig in, top the salad with the remaining Italian dressing, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cheese. You can top the dish with sliced green onions, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. 

Important Tips for Making Instant Pot Pasta Salad

• We add some of the dressing while the pasta is still warm to allow the noodles to soak up the flavor. Then you’ll chill the salad and add the rest just before serving to ensure the pasta isn’t dry. 
• Feel free to season this dish with any of their favorite pasta salad seasonings. For example, Italian or Greek seasoning will both work. Dried or fresh herbs like basil, tarragon, cilantro, or rosemary are also delicious. 
• Feel free to use any of your favorite veggies!
• We use matchstick carrots because they cook so quickly. They’ll be soft but still have a little crunch in your salad. 
• We love how a sprinkle of lemon zest on top of the salad looks, but it’s not a must.
• Our favorite Italian dressing is the Olive Garden Italian, but you can use your favorite pasta salad dressing or make your own. Here’s a great recipe for homemade Italian dressing. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Italian Pasta Salad

MORE Instant Pot Pasta Recipes

It’s quick and easy to make all kinds of pasta dishes in your pressure cooker, like these:

• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is a classic pasta dinner with juicy beef meatballs and savory sauce. 
• Instant Pot Quick Penne Pasta and Homemade Marinara Sauce is our go-to pasta recipe with delicious tomato sauce. 
• Chicken Pesto Pasta is full of herby pesto sauce and tender chicken for a satisfying weeknight meal.

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Pasta Salad | Instant Pot recipe

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

This Instant Pot Pasta Salad recipe is an easy BBQ side dish with Italian dressing, parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, and crunchy vegetables.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 oz) uncooked rotini
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 1 cup small diced yellow squash
• 1 cup small diced cucumber
• 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 small can (2 oz) sliced olives, optional
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 green onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or minced fresh)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, optional
• 1 bottle (16 oz) Italian Dressing (we use Olive Garden’s Signature Italian)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add the pasta, water, and salt to the pressure cooking pot. Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure and 5 minutes cook time.
2. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
3. Remove the cooking pot from the housing. Reserve some of the pasta water; set aside.
4. Pour the pasta into a colander and allow to drain. Add the carrots and squash to the pressure cooking pot, then top with the hot cooked pasta. Cover with the lid and allow the carrots and squash to cook under the hot pasta. After about 5 minutes, add two-thirds of the Italian dressing and gently stir until the pasta is evenly coated with dressing. 
5. Allow the pasta to cool to room temperature. The salad can be served at room temperature or chilled. (If you are chilling your pasta salad, remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to serve it.)
6. Just prior to serving, add the remaining Italian dressing, diced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives (if using), and parmesan cheese. Gently stir until well mixed. (At this point, if the pasta salad is thicker than you like, add some of the reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.)
7. Garnish with green onion slices, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 57Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 528mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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