Everyone always loves this cold Italian Pasta Salad recipe made with a simple homemade Italian dressing, rotini noodles, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, pepperoni or hard salami, onion, and pepperoncini. It’s the perfect pasta salad recipe to serve as a side for a BBQ or potluck.
Everyone always loves this cold pasta salad with homemade Italian dressing. It starts with rotini noodles, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, pepperoni or hard salami, onion, and pepperoncini tossed together in a delicious homemade Italian dressing, making it the perfect Classic Italian Pasta Salad recipe to serve as a side for a BBQ or potluck.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Refrigerate: 2 hours
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 664kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta , uncooked
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese pearls (or chopped into pieces if you can't find pearls)
- 8 ounces salami chopped, or substitute summer sausage)
- 6 ounces black olives , sliced
- 1/2 red onion , diced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- pepperoncinis , sliced (optional)
For the Italian Salad Dressing (or substitute about 1 1/2 cups bottled zesty italian dressing):
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the salad dressing by combining all ingredients. Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Shake before using.
For the pasta salad:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain water and rinse pasta with cold water. Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Add pasta to a large bowl and pour half of the salad dressing over it. Toss to combine. Add remaining ingredients and dressing and toss everything to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer, before serving. Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Inspiration and my introduction to recipes comes from: tastesbetterfromscratch.com
Notes
I often use sauteed zucchini instead of cucumber.
Nutrition
Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 1544mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 9.7mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 1.9mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram #TastesBetterFromScratch!
0 Comments