Pasta salads are yummy, wholesome, and incredibly easy to whip up. While mixed with a homemade salad dressing, any version of pasta salad can be immensely irresistible! Follow this recipe for an easy and loaded Italian pasta salad with an easy homemade dressing, that you can eat anytime you want.
Ingredients:
For Pasta Salad
● Uncooked tri-color rotini pasta, 1 package of 8 ounce
● Diced pepperoni sausage, 6 ounces
● Very thinly sliced red onion, 1 medium-sized
● Thinly sliced cucumber, 1 small-sized
● Chopped green bell pepper, ¾ cup
● Chopped red bell pepper, ¾ cup
● Drained pitted black olives, 1 can of 6 ounce
● Cubed provolone cheese, 6 ounces
● Grated parmesan cheese, ¼ cup
● Minced fresh parsley, ¼ cup
For Salad Dressing
● Olive oil, ½ cup
● Red wine vinegar, ¼ cup
● Minced garlic, 2 cloves
● Ground mustard seed, ½ teaspoon
● Dried basil, 1 teaspoon
● Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon
● Salt, ¼ teaspoon
● Freshly ground black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon
Directions:
● First, place a large pot full of lightly salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Add the rotini pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, yet a bit firm to the bite. It should take 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta, lightly rinse it with cold water, and drain again.
● Transfer the drained and cooked pasta to a large salad bowl. Add all the other ingredients of the salad to it. Then, lightly season everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Don’t go too heavy-handed with seasoning at this step, as the dressing will also contain some amount of salt and pepper seasoning.
● Take a smaller bowl, or a jar, and add the ingredients for the dressing. Stir well with a spoon to combine everything. After pouring everything into a jar, just seal it tight and keep shaking until well combined.
● Now, pour the prepared dressing over the pasta salad. Toss everything, using one or two large spoons until well coated. Serve the salad immediately. You can also cover the bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for a maximum of 8 hours before serving.
● If you want to make and store your salad for a longer time, transfer the prepared salad to an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. As this dressing is oil-based, it’ll last up to 4 days, a little longer than its dairy-based counterpart versions. Also, pasta salads are best served cold, so don’t bother with reheating. Just enjoy it straight out of the fridge!