If you also LOVE the pasta salad from Jason’s Deli, then you are in the right place! This is my copycat recipe for the Jason’s Deli pasta salad. I think I have down to almost exactly like the recipe from Jason’s. Enjoy!

When my family and I lived in Nashville, we were just a mile from a Jason’s Deli and frequently ate dinner there. My husband and I love their pasta salad as a side dish. Now that we are in the Charleston area, we don’t have a Jason’s very close to us, so we knew we’d have to recreate the pasta salad at home! After lots of testing and tweaking, I think this recipe is a winner!

Copycat Jason’s Deli Pasta Salad Recipe

Now the basics of this pasta salad are the tricolor rotini, steamed broccoli, a red bell pepper and sliced black olives. The dressing, however, took lots of tweaking, and I think we nailed it! It’s an Italian dressing with a few tweaks. It’s also a super simple dressing to make using mostly kitchen staples you likely already have!

ingredients used in jason's deli pasta salad

Jason’s Deli Pasta Salad Ingredients

TRICOLOR ROTINI: To be authentic to the Jason’s Deli recipe, grab a tricolor rotini, but of course you can use any short cut pasta you like. There are several tricolor spiral pastas out there too!

BROCCOLI: Just simple steamed broccoli is all you need. You can certainly leave it out if you like, but I think it’s a great way to get in some more fresh veggies!

RED BELL PEPPER: I love the crunch of the bell pepper! You could also add cucumber, but we wanted the recipe to be just like Jason’s!

SLICED BLACK OLIVES: They’re a tasty addition, but you can leave them out if you’re not an olive lover.

Jason's Deli copycat pasta salad recipe with broccoli, rotini and olives

Italian Dressing Ingredients

This dressing is super simple, whisk it together and pour it on once you have your cooked pasta and veggies tossed together.

EVOO: Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil.

RED WINE VINEGAR: You can substitute in regular distilled vinegar or white wine vinegar, I just find that red wine vinegar doesn’t have as much of a bite as the others varieties.

SUGAR: Just a touch helps balance the acidity and vinegar.

GARLIC POWDER & ONION POWDER: Delicious additions to just about any dish, am I right?

SALT: Don’t skip the salt! And as always, add more or less to your taste.

GRATED PARMESAN: This whisks nicely in to the dressing and gives it a little extra something. I like to add more grated parmesan on top sometimes too!

LEMON JUICE: Fresh lemon juice makes every dressing better.

ITALIAN SEASONING: Of course!

Pasta Salad Recipe Tips:

Feel free to customize this Jason’s Deli Italian pasta salad with your favorite vegetables or add-ins. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, or diced red onions would all be delicious additions.
For a creamier dressing, you can add a dollop of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt to the dressing mixture.
For extra flavor, you could add hard salami, a hard boiled egg or diced ham.
Don’t skip the step of rinsing the cooked pasta under cold water. This helps prevent it from sticking together and ensures a perfect texture for your salad.
Add fresh herbs on top for extra flavor! Fresh basil and fresh parsley are great additions.

Making Ahead:

This copycat Jason’s Deli Pasta Salad is perfect for making ahead of time, making it an ideal dish for picnics, potlucks, or meal prep. You can prepare the pasta and chop the vegetables in advance, storing them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, simply toss everything together with the dressing and enjoy! It tastes even better the next day!

This is the ultimate flavorful side dish for any get-together or to serve alongside grilled chicken or fish for a quick meal! I hope you love it as much as we do!

More Easy Salads You’ll Love:

If you love this Jason’s Deli copycat recipe, let me know! I have a few other favorites from their deli that I might have to work up copycat recipes for so let me know if you’d like to see those!