Love the combination of sweet and savory? You have to try this 3-ingredient Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad recipe! It’s my own creation (or at least I think it is), and it’s pretty darn delicious if I do say so myself! Check it out and make a batch for lunch, or double-batch it and make it for your spring & summer parties.

Love the combination of sweet and savory? You have to try this 3-ingredient Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad recipe! Check it out and make a batch for lunch, or double-batch it and make it for your spring & summer parties.

A few months ago, before finances took a turn for the worse, I was going through this major Suddenly Salad pasta phase. Both my mom and I loved heir Classic pasta salad, and we were going through a couple of boxes a week! See, while delicious, there’s very little pasta in each box. Just over half a pound. When money got super tight, I had to start reevaluating the convenience food that we we buying. I decided that I could make a larger batch of Italian pasta salad for about the same amount (or less) as the Suddenly Salad.

The result was delicious, but I was looking for a way to make it even better. That’s when I discovered the yummy combination of Italian dressing & poppy seed dressing. If you like sweet and savory, you’ll love it, too! Here’s how to make it. I promise, it’s SUPER simple.

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Sweet & Savory Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad Recipe

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I made a double batch because we go through it like crazy, but the directions below are for a single batch. Just double everything if you want to make enough for a party.

Want to save print this recipe? Scroll to the bottom for a printer-friendly version.

Ingredients

Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad Recipe 3 ingredients

  • 12-oz box of tri-color Rotini (less than $1 at Walmart or Aldis)
  • 16-oz bottle of plain Italian DressingSweet & Zesty Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad Recipe (I got mine at Aldis for about $1)
  • Poppy Seed DressingSweet & Zesty Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad Recipe (I used Kraft this time because it was on sale, but you can use whatever brand you like)

How to Make It

Love the combination of sweet and savory? You have to try this 3-ingredient Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad recipe! Check it out and make a batch for lunch, or double-batch it and make it for your spring & summer parties.

  • Cook the Rotini according to the package (boil water, add the pasta, boil until tender)
  • Drain thoroughly and rinse with cold water until all of the pasta is cool. I use my sink’s sprayer attachment.
  • Pour the pasta into a big bowl (I put it right into my Rubbermaid containerSweet & Zesty Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad Recipe)

Poppy Seed pasta salad BBQ side dish recipe

  • Mix in about 1/2 of the bottle of Italian dressing. Keep the rest reserved for those who want to add a bit more to their pasta salad.
  • Stir really well. I put the lid on and shake it like crazy.
  • Add about 8oz of Poppy Seed Dressing right to the pasta salad OR add about 1-2 tablespoons to individual servings of the salad (more on this below)

When I make mine, I add the poppy seed dressing to individual bowls because my mom doesn’t really like it. If you stop before the poppy seed, you have a pretty good Suddenly Salad copycat recipe!

3-ingredient Suddenly Salad Italian copycat recipe

One note about doubling the recipe: you don’t really have to double the Italian dressing. When I make two boxes of rotini, I end up using about 2/3 of the bottle.

If you don’t need it to be pretty, you can stretch your budget a smidge further by using plain rotini. You get a pound of it for the same price as 12 ounces of tri-color rotini. I don’t understand why they don’t sell a pound of tri-color. It seems to only come in 12oz. Weird.

Like I said, this recipe makes for a quick and easy lunch, and you’ll have enough of it to last you a few days. A double batch also makes for a great summer barbecue side dish!

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Love the combination of sweet and savory? You have to try this 3-ingredient Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad recipe! Check it out and make a batch for lunch, or double-batch it and make it for your spring & summer parties.

Italian Poppy Seed Pasta Salad


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5 from 4 reviews

  • Total Time: 20 minutes

Description

This yummy pasta salad recipe uses just three ingredients & takes under 30 minutes to make! If you love the combo of sweet and savory, give it a try!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 oz Box of Tri-Color Rotini
  • 16 oz Italian Salad Dressing
  • 12 oz Poppy Seed Dressing

Instructions

  1. Cook the Rotini according to the package (boil water, add the pasta, boil until tender)
    Drain thoroughly and rinse with cold water until all of the pasta is cool. I use my sink’s sprayer attachment.
    Pour the pasta into a big bowl 
    Mix in about 1/2 of the bottle of Italian dressing. Keep the rest reserved for those who want to add a bit more to their pasta salad.
    Stir really well. I put the lid on and shake it like crazy.
    Add about 8oz of Poppy Seed Dressing right to the pasta salad OR add about 1-2 tablespoons to individual servings of the salad
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish