A simple Quick and Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe that is a family and crowd pleaser. It is loaded with delicious and nutritious Italian Vegetables. Best made ahead and allowed time to marinate and absorb all the delicious flavors.
You should have a Quick and Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe that you can pull together for family and friends.
Why do you want to make my Quick and Easy Italian Pasta Salad?
This Pasta Salad is the perfect spring and summer food. Great to serve at a party. My Italian Pasta Salad can be made ahead and can be allowed to sit at room temperature. This recipe pair perfectly with food from the grill or can be enjoyed on its own with a crisp glass of wine on a hot summer day.
Why I Created this Recipe?
I went to a friend’s place for a dinner party and she served a pasta salad that was delicious.
I enjoyed it so much it inspired me to make my own recipe. So, I decided to make mine filled with my favorite Italian veggies. What makes this recipe so fabulous is not only how delicious it is, but how simple it is to prepare. Thanks to the high quality Italian Vegetables available in jars, this recipe is nothing more than boiling water, draining vegetables and using a spoon to toss everything together.
How to Make my Quick and Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe.
To make a delicious Italian Pasta Salad you need to use the best Italian Vegetables tossed with a simple delicious Dressing.
This salad couldn’t be easier to make. All you have to do is cook your pasta according to the package instructions. I like to cook mine al dente, which means it should have a slight bite to your noodle. The pasta shouldn’t be hard, but have a tiny amount of resistance when you bite into it. Once your noodles are cooked you will want to rinse them in cold water. THis will get your noodles ready to coat your noodles with half of your dressing.
I like to throw all my vegetables in a medium bowl, and dress with half of your dressing and Parmesan Cheese. This allows you to get an even coating on the vegetables. Then toss everything together and serve.
Topping with some fresh chopped Parsley and a bit more grated Parmesan is optional but preferred.
Quick and Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Medium Bowl
- Serving Bowl
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salad:
- 1 lb fusilli pasta cooked according to package directions, rinsed with cold water to bring to room temperature (try to buy Italian pasta made with ancient grains or use gluten free pasta)
- ½ cup Kalamata pitted olives
- ½ cup Casterlvano pitted olives
- 1-14.5 ounce whole grilled artichokes in oil drained
- 6 ounces roasted red & yellow peppers in oil drained and cut into chunks
- 1-14.5 ounce of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Parsley chopped for topping
- More grated Parmesan Cheese for topping
Instructions
Dressing:
- Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Salad
- Add pasta in a large serving bowl and toss half the dressing to coat pasta evenly.
- In a medium bowl toss the vegetables and the rest of the dressing until vegetables are evenly coated.
- Mix dressed vegetables, and Parmesan Cheese in with the pasta till evenly blended.
- When you serve, top with chopped fresh parsley and Parmesan if using.
Notes
