Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
A tangy drool worthy cold salad that goes perfectly with just about every meal. Simple ingredients, make it with store-bought dressing or even better use our 5 minute Italian dressing recipe.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time12 mins
Total Time22 mins
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian, Italian / American
Diet: Halal
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 472kcal
- 1 pound Tri color rotini pasta
- 1 drizzle Olive oil about a couple of tablespoons
- 8 oz fresh mini mozzarella balls
- 1 cup black olives pitted and sliced 6oz
- 1 cup beef salami or turkey pepperoni 5oz
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved, 8oz
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese optional (80g)
Dressing
- 2 cups olive oil any neutral oil will work
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 Tablespoons sugar or maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon dry basil
Cook your pasta according to package directions.
Save a cup of the pasta water aside and drain the rest.
Run the cooked pasta under cold water.
Toss pasta with a drizzle of olive oil and set aside to cool down completely.
Make the dressing:
Place dressing ingredients minus the oil in a small blender or food processor.
Pulse a couple of times to combine.
With your blender on, pour the oil slowly in a thin steady stream to emulsify. You can also use an immersion blender just make sure to put the ingredient in a tall container or it will splatter all over the counter.
Assemble the pasta salad:
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pasta bowl.
Pour dressing to your liking over the pasta and toss well to combine.
Taste as you add until you reach your favorite level.
Chill for a couple of hours before serving.
- Use any neutral oil you like.
- I like using all the dressing for this amount of pasta for a zesty taste.
- If you feel the dressing is too thick for your liking feel free to thin it with some of the pasta water we reserved earlier.
- You can also skip the homemade dressing and get yourself a bottle of store bought zesty Italian dressing. You will need 2 cups for dressing for this recipe.
- This pasta is even better the next day, which makes it great for making ahead.
To Store:
Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 264IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 1mg