Best Italian Pasta Salad
Best Italian Pasta Salad recipe is a loaded pasta salad with all your favorite Italian ingredients, made with a homemade pesto vinaigrette!If you're in a pinch for time, buy storebought dressing and skip making homemade. But this homemade dressing really makes the salad!
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup pesto
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the pasta salad:
- 1 pound rotini pasta, cooked and cooled
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small cucumber, chopped
- 10 ounces sliced salami, small pieces (2 cups)
- 8 ounces mozzarella sticks, thinly sliced into small pieces
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 1 ½ cup baby bell peppers, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup diced red onion
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped oregano, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- For the dressing:
- Whisk together the vinegar, pesto, garlic, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking constantly until combined. Set aside or, if using later, pour into a jar.
- For the pasta salad:
- Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, salami, mozzarella, olives, bell peppers, onion, Parmesan, salt, basil, and parsley.
- Whisk (or shake the bottle) the dressing once more, then pour it over the salad, stirring to combine.
- Just before serving, sprinkle with more chopped basil, oregano, parsley.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 552kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 1294mg, Potassium: 411mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1541IU, Vitamin C: 50mg, Calcium: 136mg, Iron: 2mg