This Italian pasta salad recipe is recent and scrumptious! A zesty Italian dressing, veggies, olives, pepperoncini, and cheese fill it with daring taste.

I’ve made this Italian pasta salad for all our picnics and potlucks over the previous few weeks. After I added the substances to my procuring record once more this morning, I knew I needed to share the recipe!

This Italian pasta salad is stuffed with daring, zesty taste. It begins with colourful veggies, oodles of noodles, and chewy mozzarella cheese. Then, I add olives and pepperoncini for tangy, briny taste and recent herbs for an fragrant pop. To tie all of it collectively, I douse it in my home made Italian dressing.

It’s an ideal recipe for summer time gatherings as a result of, like many pasta salads, you can also make it forward. Prep it as much as a day upfront of a celebration or get-together. Simply season to style and prime with recent basil earlier than serving! Savory and satisfying, however nonetheless shiny and recent, it’s all the time successful.

Italian Pasta Salad Components

Right here’s what you’ll have to make this Italian pasta salad recipe:

• Pasta, in fact! I like spiral-shaped rotini right here, however you may use one other quick pasta like fusilli, farfalle, or cavatappi.
• Contemporary veggies – I take advantage of juicy cherry tomatoes in addition to crisp cucumbers, crimson bell peppers, and crimson onion. The candy tomatoes and peppers distinction properly with the opposite savory, salty substances on this salad.
• Mini recent mozzarella balls – They add richness and chewy texture. I like to make use of ciliegine (cherry-sized) mozzarella right here. If you happen to desire, you may use smaller pearl-sized balls or tear a bigger ball of recent mozzarella into bite-size items.
• Kalamata olives and pepperoncini – They add tangy, briny taste.
• Parsley and basil – These aromatic herbs add a stunning freshness to the salad.
• And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!

These substances go into the salad. You’ll additionally want my home made Italian French dressing to placed on it!

Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.

How you can Make This Italian Pasta Salad

Step one on this Italian pasta salad recipe is cooking the pasta. Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil and put together the pasta in keeping with the bundle directions. I usually advocate cooking it simply till al dente, however on this case, I really advocate boiling it longer, till it’s barely previous al dente. That manner, the pasta will keep smooth as soon as it cools.

Drain it and toss it with a drizzle of olive oil to stop sticking. Then, set it apart to chill to room temperature.

Subsequent, assemble the salad. Place the pasta in a big bowl and add the greens, cheese, olives, pepperoncini, and parsley. Toss to mix.

Add the dressing, salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper. Toss once more.

Lastly, add the basil and season to style. Garnish with extra basil simply earlier than serving!

Recipe Suggestions

• Cook dinner the pasta till it’s barely previous al dente. That manner, the noodles will keep tender as soon as they cool.
• Cube the cucumber and bell pepper into small items. You wish to get slightly of those crunchy veggies in each chunk. Chopping them into small items helps them evenly disperse all through the salad.
• Make it your individual. This recipe is versatile! Experiment with including totally different greens (like steamed broccoli or a inexperienced bell pepper) or one other kind of cheese (freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino is scrumptious). You may use black olives as a substitute of kalamata olives or drained artichoke hearts as a substitute of pepperoncini. Have enjoyable making this salad your individual.

What to Serve with Italian Pasta Salad

This Italian pasta salad recipe is one in every of my favourite aspect dishes to make for cookouts. It pairs completely with basic BBQ fare like veggie burgers, black bean burgers, coleslaw, and grilled corn on the cob or combined grilled greens.

It’s additionally a scrumptious meal prep lunch. Pack it up for work or faculty, or take pleasure in it for a picnic. I adore it with a aspect of fruit salad and home made brownies for dessert.

Extra Favourite Pasta Salad Recipes

If you happen to love this Italian pasta salad, strive one in every of these pasta salads subsequent:

Italian Pasta Salad

Serves 8 to 12

This pasta salad with Italian dressing, colourful veggies, olives, cheese, and pepperoncini is recent, zesty, and scrumptious. It is an ideal aspect dish to make forward for summer time picnics and cookouts.

Cook dinner ModeStop your display from going darkish

• Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in keeping with the bundle directions, cooking till barely previous al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to stop sticking. Put aside to chill to room temperature.

• Switch the cooled pasta to a big bowl and add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, crimson pepper, cucumber, crimson onion, olives, pepperoncini, and parsley. Toss to mix, then add the dressing, salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper and toss once more.

• Stir within the basil and season to style. Garnish with extra basil and serve.