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Tangy Italian Pasta Salad
We love this recipe because it's not as sweet as traditional pasta salad.
The recipe
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes + 1 hour chilling
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes (35 minutes if using bacon)
- Makes
- 24 servings
Ingredients
- 24 oz tri-color rotini pasta, uncooked
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 12 oz sliced pepperoni
- 1 red onion, diced
- 16 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz sliced olives
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- 01
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
- 02
Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente.
- 03
Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water until it reaches room temperature. Transfer it to a large serving bowl.
- 04
Add the cherry tomatoes, pepperoni, red onion, mozzarella, Parmesan and olives.
- 05
In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
- 06
Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- 07
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
- 08
Toss the pasta salad again just before serving. If it has been refrigerated overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes first.