Description
This Italian Pasta Salad is a refreshing and flavorful dish that is perfect for picnics, barbecues, or as a light meal. Packed with colorful veggies, pasta, and a zesty dressing, it’s a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup mozzarella pearls or diced mozzarella
- 1/2 cup salami or pepperoni slices, quartered
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Boil the pasta until al dente. Rinse under cold water to cool.
- Prepare the Salad: In a large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, red onion, mozzarella, and salami.
- Add Dressing: Pour Italian dressing over the salad, toss well.
- Season and Chill: Season with salt, pepper, parsley. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, omit the salami or pepperoni.
- You can use any short pasta shape like penne or farfalle.
- Homemade Italian dressing can be used for extra flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
