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patriotic pasta salad

Easy Patriotic Pasta Salad for 4th of July

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb noodles rotini or bowtie work great
  • Red food coloring
  • Blue food coloring
  • 8 oz white cheddar cheese chopped into small cubes
  • 3 oz pepperoni chopped or sliced
  • 2 oz sliced black olives
  • 2 cups Italian dressing

Method
 

  1. Divide the dry noodles into three equal portions. Boil each batch separately:
  2. One batch in plain water (for white noodles)
  3. One batch in water with a few drops of red food coloring
  4. One batch in water with a few drops of blue food coloring
  5. Drain and rinse each batch under cold water to stop cooking. Combine all three colors in a large bowl.
  6. Chop the white cheddar and pepperoni into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.
  7. Add the sliced black olives.
  8. Pour the Italian dressing over the salad.
  9. Stir everything together until evenly coated and colorful.
  10. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.

Notes

No Food Coloring? Try These Natural Swaps

If you'd rather skip the food coloring, you can still make a festive red, white, and blue pasta salad using naturally colorful ingredients! For red, try cherry tomatoes, or roasted red peppers. For blue, swap in purple cabbage for a similar visual effect. And for white, stick with white cheddar or mozzarella. These natural options keep your salad vibrant and fun—without any added dyes.