Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
This delicious Italian Pasta Salad Recipe is made with fresh veggies, sliced salami, mozzarella cheese, tender cooked pasta, and homemade Italian dressing. Flavorful and super easy to prepare, this is my favorite pasta salad perfect for potlucks and picnics, or for an easy summer side dish or dinner.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 556kcal
Ingredients
For the Italian Dressing
- ⅓ cup good-quality olive oil
- 4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley - chopped
- salt + black pepper - to taste
For the Pasta Salad
- 1 pound fusilli pasta - cooked to al dente (may also use rotini pasta or bowtie pasta)
- 16 ounces mozzarella balls - drained and sliced in half
- 6 ounces salami - sliced and quartered
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach - (or arugula)
- 15 ounces cherry tomatoes - halved (or grape tomatoes)
- 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts - drained and chopped
- 1 (6.5 ounce) can black olives - drained and chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing- Add all ingredients for the dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper) to a jar and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously to combine and season with additional salt, pepper, or red wine vinegar to taste. Set aside.
- Prepare the Pasta- Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package instructions and cook just until al dente. Drain and rinse well with cool water. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and toss with the prepared Italian dressing.
- In a separate bowl toss together the mozzarella balls, salami, spinach, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and black olives.
- Combine- Transfer the salami and spinach mixture to the bowl with the pasta and mix well to combine.
- Serve- Serve or store leftovers in glass containers for easy week-long meal prep.
Notes
- Spinach does not store well. If you plan to make this ahead of time, wait to add the spinach until just before serving.
- Keep leftovers stored in a sealed air-tight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 5 days
- This salad is delicious served warm or cold (but best served cold).
Nutrition
Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 756mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1975IU | Vitamin C: 18.1mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 2.2mg
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