Summer Italian Recipes – Italian Pasta Salad
Easy Summer Italian Recipes – a Healthy, Fun, and Colorful Italian Pasta Salad!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 16 ounces hard salami sliced then chopped
- 3 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 2 cups red green or yellow bell peppers (chopped)
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1 can black olives sliced
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook your chosen pasta based on package directions with a tablespoon of salt. Keep ½ cup of your pasta water before draining. Put your pasta aside.
- During the time the pasta is cooking, Prep your salad ingredients and dressing.
- To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, then season with salt and pepper according to taste.
- Add your cooked pasta to your favorite salad bowl. Add in the chopped bell peppers, red onion, halved tomatoes, salami, olives, mozzarella pearls, grated parmesan, then chopped parsley and basil.
- Whisk your salad dressing one more time, then pour over your salad along with the ¼ cup pasta water you left aside. Try to gently mix to cover the ingredients with the tangy dressing.
- You can serve it right away or chill for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge for a more refreshing salad. Enjoy!