The Best Pasta Salad
Immerse yourself in the flavors of our captivating creation The Ultimate Pasta Salad. Picture a blend of pasta, juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and savory salami all tossed together with an exquisite Italian dressing. Each mouthful embarks you on a voyage as layers of flavors and textures intertwine with the hints of Kalamata olives and an optional touch of pepperoncini, for that extra kick. This pasta salad transcends being a dish; it's an orchestra of tastes and vibrant colors that will elevate any social gathering. Whether it's a family dinner or a lively potluck, with friends this recipe guarantees a dining experience that will leave everyone yearning for seconds.
10 Servings
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Essentials:
- 1 pound uncooked pasta
- 3 c cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese balls cut in half
- 1 pound salami or summer sausage cut into cubes
- 3/4 c kalamata olives sliced
- 3/4 c pepperoncini optional, but do it
- 1/2 c sliced red onion
- 1/2 c fresh parsley chopped
Italian Pasta Salad Dressing:
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 1/4 c white vinegar white vinegar or red wine vinegar work
- 1/4 c water
- 1 –2 tbsp. coarse sea salt yes, tablespoons
- 2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp each dry oregano and dry basil
- black pepper to taste
- fresh herbs if you want! sometimes I add fresh parsley basil, or chives.
Instructions
- Start by boiling the pasta following the instructions, on the box. To enrich the taste use water with salt. After it's cooked let it cool a bit and then toss it with a little amount of oil to prevent sticking.
- For the Pasta Salad Dressing, you can mix all the dressing ingredients together or shake them in a jar.
- In a mixing bowl blend all the ingredients for the pasta salad; cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, salami, olives, pepperoncini, red onion and fresh parsley.
- Drizzle about three-fourths of the dressing over the ingredients and mix everything together until they are well blanketed. Keep the rest of the dressing to add to any leftovers.
- Place your pasta salad in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Enough it tends to have a better taste, on day two as all flavors come together.
Notes
To assemble a gluten-free version of this recipe you can easily switch out regular pasta, for your favored gluten-free alternative. Most grocery stores offer a variety of options like rice pasta, corn pasta or chickpea pasta that are free from gluten. Just make sure to direct to the cooking instructions on the package of your selected gluten-free pasta as they may have various cooking times approximated to traditional wheat-based pasta. By making this substitution you can yield "The Best Pasta Salad" without any troubles, with gluten while still savoring all the savors.