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Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

This Italian Pasta Salad Recipe is perfect for outdoor picnics, summer cookouts, barbecues or any other casual get-together. It's filled with colorful vegetables, cheese, and salami and tossed in a zesty Italian dressing. This easy recipe is a great option for meal prep and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner throughout the week.
Course dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Italian Pasta Salad, Pasta Salad, Pasta Salad Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 636kcal
Author Olivia Ribas

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 2 cups dry rotini/fusilli
  • 1 cup hard salami sliced 1/4-inch thick and then into quarters
  • 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes halved
  • ¾ cup black olives sliced
  • 1 cup yellow bell peppers chopped
  • 1 cup orange bell peppers chopped
  • 1/2 cup red onion sliced
  • ½ cucumber cut in quarter
  • 1 cup fresh mozzarella cubed
  • ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

For the dressing

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to directions on package. For my pasta I boil 5 quarts water with 1 tablespoon of salt. When it is cooked, drain, and set aside to cool down.
  • While pasta is cooling, prepare the dressing by whisking together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, mustard, garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add cooled pasta to an extra large bowl along with salami, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, red onion and mozzarella. Mix all well.
  • Then pour the dressing, parmesan and parsley. Mix well and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Cook the pasta until it's done all the way through but still has a slight bite. Cooking it too long will result in mushy pasta.
  • Cut the cheese and salami into small bite size cubes so they're easy to eat. 
  • Whisk the dressing and let it sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. 
  • Add some salt to the pasta water to add depth of flavor to the whole dish. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 | Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 36g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g