Italian Pasta Salad Recipe - Love and Lemons

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

Italian pasta salad

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 buying record once more this morning, I knew I needed to share the recipe!

This Italian pasta salad is filled 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 do-it-yourself 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 prematurely of a celebration or get-together. Simply season to style and high with recent basil earlier than serving! Savory and satisfying, however nonetheless brilliant and recent, it’s all the time successful.

Italian pasta salad ingredients

Italian Pasta Salad Substances

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

Pasta, after all! I like spiral-shaped rotini right here, however you would use one other brief pasta like fusilli, farfalle, or cavatappi.
Recent veggies – I exploit juicy cherry tomatoes in addition to crisp cucumbers, pink bell peppers, and pink 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. In case you want, you would 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 beautiful 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 do-it-yourself Italian French dressing to placed on it!

The Dressing

I toss this salad in a zesty Italian dressing. It’s simple to make with olive oil, white wine vinegar and lemon juice, honey, garlic, and Dijon mustard. For much more depth of taste, I combine in dried oregano, dried thyme, recent parsley, and Parmesan cheese.

You’ll be able to’t beat this do-it-yourself salad dressing by way of taste. Nevertheless, in case you’d prefer to simplify this recipe, you would substitute your favourite store-bought French dressing.

Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.

Tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella, olives, red onion, red peppers, pepperoncini, parsley, and rotini in mixing bowl

Learn how to Make This Italian Pasta Salad

Step one on this Italian pasta salad recipe is cooking the pasta. Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil and put together the pasta in response to the package deal directions. I usually suggest cooking it simply till al dente, however on this case, I truly suggest boiling it longer, till it’s barely previous al dente. That means, the pasta will keep mushy 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.

Pouring Italian dressing over pasta salad

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 several other grinds of pepper. Toss once more.

Tossing salad ingredients with Italian dressing in mixing bowl

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

Recipe Suggestions

Prepare dinner the pasta till it’s barely previous al dente. That means, the noodles will keep tender as soon as they cool.
Cube the cucumber and bell pepper into small items. You wish to get somewhat of those crunchy veggies in each chew. Slicing 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 could possibly 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.

Make it forward

This Italian pasta salad recipe is a superb one to make forward! It retains properly in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.

In case you’re making it various hours prematurely, I like to recommend ready so as to add the basil till simply earlier than serving in order that it doesn’t wilt. While you’re able to eat, fold some leaves into the salad and and sprinkle extra on high for garnish.

Zesty Italian pasta salad

What to Serve with Italian Pasta Salad

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

It’s additionally a scrumptious meal prep lunch. Pack it up for work or college, or take pleasure in it for a picnic. I find it irresistible with a aspect of fruit salad and do-it-yourself brownies for dessert.

Italian pasta salad recipe

Extra Favourite Pasta Salad Recipes

In case you love this Italian pasta salad, attempt one among these pasta salads subsequent: