Zesty Italian Pasta Salad

Growing up in the midwest this dish was a STAPLE at every picnic, sports banquet, or family get together that I went to. But back then it consisted of tricolored pasta and wish-bone Italian dressing. So in my version I decided to make this dish a little sexier than what you may used to, but trust me when I say this is just as good (if not better).

If you've followed the pasta series on my IG stories, then you know that I am a huge fan of Seggiano pasta so once I saw their giant fusilli pasta at the grocery I needed to find a way to use it. For the pasta, you definitely don't need to use the same as I do but using a fusilli pasta is pretty typical for this dish. I've seen people also use farfalle pasta so if you want to do a remix yourself, do your thang.

As far as produce and protein goes, this dish is one of those amazing recipes that is super versatile so you can substitute ingredients based on what your palette likes. In this recipe I use salami and mozzarella, but if you want to keep this vegan then you can choose not to add those.

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Get Started!

Prep Time: 20 Mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Servings: 8-10 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 box fusilli pasta

• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)

• 3/4 cup orange & red bell pepper (chopped)

• 3/4 cup marinated artichokes

• 1/2 cup black olives (halved)

• 1/4 cup red onion (chopped)

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)

• 1 ball fresh mozzarella (torn apart)

• ~1/2 cup torn salami

• Whole pepperoncinis, and fresh basil for garnish

• Dressing

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 red wine vinegar

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • 1 tsp Basil

  • 1 tsp Garlic powder

  • 1 tsp Onion powder

  • 1 tsp Oregano

  • 1 tsp Parsley

  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil water and follow instructions for cooking pasta. You will want this to be at room temperature when you start to make your salad.

2. Once your pasta is ready, add your chopped vegetables, meat, and cheese to the pasta and mix.

3. In a mason jar (or small bowl), add the ingredients for your dressing and shake/stir until fully mixed together.

4. Add the dressing to your pasta salad and mix together.

5. Garnish with pepperoncini, fresh basil, and parsley.

6. Serve and enjoy!