Zesty Italian Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing
This zesty Italian pasta salad is made with fresh vegetables, mozzarella pearls, and salami, and is topped with a delicious homemade Italian salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta uncooked
- 1 Green bell pepper chopped
- 1 Red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup Cucumber chopped
- ½ Red onion chopped
- 3 cup Cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cup Black olives
- 5.3 oz Mozzarella balls drained
- ⅓ cup Parsley chopped
- 6 oz Salami chopped
Zesty Italian salad dressing
- ¾ cup Olive oil
- ⅓ cup Red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey or maple syrup
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon Chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the pasta according to the package instructions and cook it to al dente. Rinse and wash the pasta to stop the cooking process and prevent it from sticking.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the pasta, mozzarella pearls, chopped cucumber, chopped red bell pepper, black olives, chopped red onion, chopped green pepper, chopped salami, chopped parsley, and sliced cherry tomatoes.
- Make the salad dressing. Into a small mixing bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, kosher salt, black pepper, chili flakes, lemon zest, dijon mustard, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and lemon juice.
- Mix with a small whisk until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, and use two wooden spoons to mix the salad well.
Notes
- Pasta salads are the most delicious when you let them sit in the fridge and soak up all the flavors of the dressing. So I would recommend serving this a few hours after you let the salad chill in the fridge.
- Make the pasta in salted water. this will make sure that the pasta flavor isn't flat. add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. to stop the pasta from turning soggy from the juices, cook the pasta al dente. this step will keep your pasta salad fresh and delicious.
- Use fresh ingredients! this pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, it's fresh and summery so make sure that you use fresh vegetables and fresh ingredients. the quality of the ingredients really makes this salad the best.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water when it's ready! This step ensures that the pasta will remain al dente and won't continue to cook.
Nutrition
Calories: 338kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 14gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 781mgPotassium: 410mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 774IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!