Description
I love to make my simple Italian pasta salad recipe when I need a fresh, crowd-pleasing side dish. I toss tender al dente pasta, fresh vegetables, and an herb-infused dressing together, to give every bite the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dried Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound fusilli pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup chopped beef salami slices
- 3/4 cup chopped grilled piquillo peppers
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 12 ounces mini mozzarella balls, drained and halved
- 3.8 ounces sliced black olives, drained
Instructions
- Step: Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add a large spoonful of salt to the water. Then stir in the dried pasta. Cook according to package instructions, usually 6-8 minutes to al dente. Drain the pasta, and rinse with cold water in a colander. Shake off the excess water and place the pasta in a large salad bowl.
- Step: While the pasta is boiling, whisk all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. Set aside. Then chop all the salad ingredients.
- Step: Pour the tomatoes, sliced beef salami, chopped piquillo peppers, red onion, parsley, mozzarella ball and olives over the pasta. Pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss well to coat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
This salad tastes best, when it’s had time to sit, so the flavors mingle together. If you can, make it several hours (or even a day) ahead.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 363 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 478 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg
Keywords: Italian pasta salad, cold pasta salad, side dish, beef salami, summer dinner