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    Home » Salad Recipes » Easy Italian Pasta Salad

    Published: Jun 29, 2019 · Modified: May 8, 2020 by Ajoke

    Easy Italian Pasta Salad

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Easy Italian pasta salad!! this simple pasta salad recipe has rotini, fresh mozzarella, onions, piccolo tomatoes, olives and salami in it. it is drenched in the best homemade Italian dressing ever.

    Yass it is officially summer and with the sun out now, you are guaranteed easy and quick delicious recipes here.

    Italian pasta salad in a white bowl.

    I know I have posted 3 Italian recipes in a row but really, you can’t have a good Italian pasta salad without an Italian dressing and Italian seasoning.

    Be rest assured I have got you covered on all three hence the back to back Italian recipes.. Own this year’s summer picnics, potlucks, parties and barbeques by making this easy Italian pasta salad.

    What is in my easy Italian pasta salad

    Pasta

    Piccolo tomatoes

    Mozzarella

    Olives

    Onions

    Salami

    Italian dressing

    Chopped parsley for garnish

    Like I mentioned earlier, this is an easy recipe that only require few ingredients. A great crowd pleaser and it is flavourful. I love the fact that you have all that flavour coming through from the olives, the juiciness from the tomatoes, the zing and tangy flavour from the salad dressing yet not one is overpowering the other.

    How to make Italian Pasta salad

    I know you would ask. Well, to make a good pasta salad, you would need pasta obviously. Pasta cooked in salted water. I have never cooked pasta without salt before and if by chance I forget to add some, I can make up for it when I add the pasta to the sauce. In the case of this easy pasta salad, you cannot but use salted pasta. It will be unforgivable if you serve people bland pasta salad.

    While you are waiting for the pasta to cook, prepare the rest of the ingredients and keep them refrigerated.

    Chop the onions, olives, mozzarella if you are not using pearls.

    Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, add a little bit of oil (this helps it from sticking) add the rest of the ingredients, toss together to combine, lastly, drizzle some Italian dressing on the pasta salad.

    Mix to combine and put in the fridge to chill for some few hours before serving.

    overhead shot of an Italian pasta salad in a white bowl.

    Tips

    Make sure you cook the pasta in salted water.

    Avoid using mushy pasta, for pasta salad, I would cook my pasta a minute longer than usual but still aldente.

    Make this salad a light or main meal by pairing it with protein of choice like chicken, fish, beef or roasted vegetables.

    I won’t say you should avoid store bought dressing, but if you could, try and make yours. Trust me it tastes way better than store bought.

    Make this pasta salad vegetarian, omit the salami or any other type of meat used.

    This pasta salad tastes better the next day

    If you made this easy Italian pasta salad recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @myactivekitchen on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest.

    ATB

    Ajoke x

    italian pasta salad.
    Print Recipe
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    Easy Italian Pasta Salad

    Easy Italian pasta salad!! this simple pasta salad recipe has rotini, fresh mozzarella, onions, piccolo tomatoes, olives and salami in it. it is drenched in the best homemade Italian dressing ever. It is a great side for all summer occasions.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: easy italian pasta salad, homemade italian pasta salad, italian pasta salad
    Servings: 4
    Author: Ajoke

    Equipment

    • Salad bowl

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups uncooked rotini Pasta
    • 11/2 cups Piccolo tomatoes
    • 1 cup Mozzarella cut into cubes
    • ½ cup Olives cut in halves
    • ⅓ cup red onions chopped use more if desired
    • 90 g Salami chopped
    • ⅓ cup homemade italian dressing use more if desired
    • 1 tbsp parsley chopped

    Instructions

    • Cook the pasta in salted water (use about 2 tsp of salt) till aldente. I recommend you cook it a minute longer than recommended on the package. This should cook between 6 to 10 minutes depending on the brand of pasta you are using. Drain the pasta once cooked, add a little oil (about 1 tablespoon) this prevents the pasta from sticking.
    • Add the pasta to a salad bowl then follow on with the rest of the ingredients. Add the Italian salad dressing and mix till well combined.
    • Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.

    Notes

    Tips:
    Make sure you cook the pasta in salted water. Avoid using mushy pasta, for pasta salad, I would cook my pasta a minute longer than usual but still aldente.
    Make this salad as light or main meal by pairing it with protein of choice like chicken, fish, beef or roasted vegetables.
    I won’t say you should avoid store bought dressing, but if you could, try and make yours. Trust me it tastes way better than store bought.
    Make this pasta salad vegetarian, omit the salami or any other type of meat used.
    This pasta salad tastes better the next day
    italian pasta salad.

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #MYACTIVEKITCHEN OR TAG @MYACTIVEKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!

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    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

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