Patriotic Tri Color Pasta Salad (Red, White, and Blue)

5 stars from 3 reviews

Patriotic Tri Color Pasta Salad (Red, White, and Blue)

Tri Color Pasta Salad is a creative way to match dishes with a theme. So why not try out some colorful pasta this summer?

Author: Donna Elick

Servings:

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Ingredients

16 ounces rotini pasta cooked and rinsed
3-4 drops red liquid food coloring
3-4 drops blue liquid food coloring
2 tablespoons water divided
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes cut in halves
8 ounces mozzarella cheese cut into ½-inch cubes (or mozzarella pearls)
¾ cup pepperoni slices cut into fourths
½ cup black olive slices
16 ounces Italian dressing

Instructions

To a large Ziploc bag, add 3-4 drops of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon water. Repeat in another bag with the blue food coloring and remaining 1 tablespoon of water.
Separate pasta into 3 equal portions (about 3 cups each).
Place ⅓ of the pasta (1 of the 3 portions) into the bag with the red coloring and seal the bag. Place another third portion of pasta into the blue bag and seal. Gently knead the bags to mix the pasta with coloring. Continue until the pasta is uniform in color. If the pasta needs additional color, mix 1 drop of food coloring with 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the bag until the desired color is reached. Rinse noodles and drain well.
Mix the remaining third portion of noodles with the olive/vegetable oil. This helps prevent the coloring from bleeding into the white pasta.
Place all pasta into a large bowl and add the tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni, olives, and dressing. Mix until well combined. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Keep refrigerated and use within 5 days.

Notes

Don’t add too much food coloring or the colors will be too bright and almost toxic looking. Start with 3-4 drops of food coloring and then continue adding if needed.
Rinse the food colored noodles well, as this helps prevent the colors from bleeding.

Nutrition