Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
This chilled Italian pasta salad is filled with crisp veggies, salami, cheese, peppers, olives and tossed with a zesty red wine vinaigrette!
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Marinating Time30 minutes mins
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8
Calories: 748kcal
Salad
- 1 lb short-cut pasta like fusilli, rotini, bowtie, etc
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 English cucumber diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 head radicchio or treviso thinly sliced
- 1/2 c sliced pepperoncini
- 1/2 c sliced olives Castelvetrano, Cerignola, or Kalamata
- 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 8 oz mini mozzarella balls drained
- 1/4 lb sliced Genoa salami cut into strips
Dressing
- 1/4 c red wine vinegar
- 1/4 c lemon juice
- 1/4 c dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 1/2 c olive oil
Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain it, toss it with some olive oil, and set it aside to cool.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl then add in the chopped red onion. Let the onions marinate in the dressing for ten minutes.
In a large bowl toss the cooled pasta with the rest of the salad ingredients, the dressing, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Taste and season the pasta one last time before serving. After marinating it may need just a little more salt, olive oil, or vinegar. Divide between bowls and serve.
Ingredient Notes:
- Pasta: any short cut pasta is great for this salad: like fusilli, rotini, bowtie, macaroni, penne etc.
- Mozzarella: If you can't find mini mozzarella balls just buy any fresh mozzarella and cube it into small pieces. Sliced provolone or crumbled feta cheese will also work
- Salami: For a vegetarian pasta salad you can omit the salami.
FAQs:
What should you serve with Italian Pasta Salad?
Storage and Serving:
- Italian pasta salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 581mg | Potassium: 528mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 2mg