Italian Pasta Salad
Colorful corkscrew pasta, tossed with mozzarella, parmesan, salami, black olives, tomatoes, red onion, and bell peppers, and laced with a garlicky, herby, lemon vinaigrette. This is, quite possibly, the best pasta salad you will ever eat. Damn pretty to look at too.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
What’s the secret to the “perfect pasta salad?” Is it the ratio of dressing to noodles? The ingredients added? I believe it’s a combination of both. In this recipe, you’ll notice that there’s a decent amount of dressing (3/4 cup or more). That seems like a lot at first, but the noodles soak up every drop. And it’s such a flavorful dressing, you’ll be making it again and again. And when it comes to the additions, pasta almost takes a backstage to the intensity of flavors – salami, cheese, peppers, onion, and olives.
It’s easy to customize this Italian pasta salad to suit your needs. If you want to leave the salami out, or substitute pepperoni or ham, please do. You can also use a block of fresh mozzarella instead of the little pearls. And you can add your favorite vegetables to stretch the salad to serve more people. For a vegetarian salad, leave out the meat and cheese. For gluten-free pasta salad, use gluten-free pasta.
It’s easy to double or triple this recipe to serve a crowd. That means it’s great for entertaining – whether it’s at home, or at a tailgate, picnic, beach party, bridal/baby shower, and more.
Here’s how to make this Italian pasta salad
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Spread it out on a baking sheet to cool for 15 minutes.
- While the pasta cools, prep the dressing and remaining ingredients.
- Toss everything together, season with salt and black pepper and serve.
You can make the pasta salad up to 24 hours in advance (and it’s almost better the second day). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The lemon dressing is amazing, and really easy. My homemade dressing is a simple blend of olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, and oregano (and basil if you’re using dried instead of fresh). It’s fresh, light, and the perfect partner for this salad. If desired, you may substitute your favorite, store-bought Italian dressing.
About the bell peppers: I used chopped sweet mini peppers and used red, yellow and orange. You can also use regular bell peppers, any color. When using regular bell peppers, you’ll need about 2 peppers to make 2 cups chopped.
About the parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese is best in this recipe because it’s nuttier and more robust. That said, if you already have pre-grated parmesan cheese handy, it will work just fine.
Should you use 12 or 16 ounces of pasta? When shopping, you’ll find that regular rotini is typically sold in 16-ounce packages, while many others, including tricolor, gluten-free, and those made with brown rice, chickpeas, and/or yellow peas are sold in 12-ounce packages. Since the preponderance of spiral pasta is sold in 12-ounce packages, that’s what this recipe calls for.
Don’t forget to reserve the pasta cooking water!
If you choose a 16-ounce package, the ingredient list doesn’t change, and you will likely still have enough dressing. If you would like your salad more “wet”, add a little more olive oil and lemon juice.
Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 12 to 16 ounces spiral pasta, regular, gluten-free or tricolor (see note above)
- 2 cups seeded and chopped bell peppers, any color, or chopped sweet mini peppers
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, either mozzarella pearls or a block of fresh mozzarella, cubed
- 6 ounces hard salami, such as Genoa, Felino, or Sopressata, cut into bite-size pieces, you can also use pepperoni or ham
- 10 ounces about 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried (when using dried, add it to the dressing)
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. As soon as the pasta is al dente, drain and transfer the pasta to a large rimming baking sheet to cool for 15 minutes.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, oregano, basil if you’re using dried basil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the bell peppers, mozzarella, salami, tomatoes, black olives, red onion, parmesan, parsley, and fresh basil (when using dried basil, add it to the dressing).
- Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the dressing and whisk to combine. Add the dressing to the pasta and other ingredients and toss to coat. If desired, thin with more pasta water. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 3 days).