Description
This Simple Italian Pasta Salad is a fresh, colorful, easy recipe packed with rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, salami, mozzarella, olives, and zesty Italian dressing. It is perfect for a quick lunch, easy dinner, healthy snack, meal prep, summer side dish, and one of my favorite food ideas when I need simple breakfast ideas for later prep or easy dinner ideas for sharing.
Ingredients
12 ounces rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup black olives, sliced
4 ounces salami, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 cup mozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella
1/4 cup pepperoncini, sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini until al dente. Drain and rinse briefly under cool water.
2. Slice the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber, thinly slice the red onion, cut the salami into bite-size pieces, and prepare the olives, mozzarella, pepperoncini, and parsley.
3. Add the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl with the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, salami, mozzarella, pepperoncini, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
4. Pour in the Italian dressing and toss everything until evenly coated. Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Toss again and add a splash of extra dressing if needed.
Notes
Do not overcook the pasta, or the salad can turn soft and absorb too much dressing as it chills.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boil and toss
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 920mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 28mg
Keywords: simple italian pasta salad, pasta salad, easy pasta salad, cold pasta salad, summer side dish, quick lunch, easy dinner, meal prep, food ideas