Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Enjoy a variety of savory flavors in this Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe. It's made with red onion, salami, mozzarella, pepperoncini, black olives, and a homemade dressing!

Delicious and filling Italian pasta salad

Pasta salad makes a great dish for a number of reasons. It's filling, it easily feeds a crowd, it's flavorful, and it can be made with a variety of ingredients! Today, I'm showing you how to enjoy it high-protein style with a delicious and easy Italian pasta salad recipe that's sure to be a hit with your family.

What makes this dish so delicious is that it uses a long list of flavor-rich ingredients like red onion, salami, pepperoncini, mozzarella, and black olives. Then, a homemade Italian dressing created with ingredients like red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon, and garlic completes the dish.

Ingredients in this easy Italian pasta salad recipe

The ingredients for this dish are made up of two parts: those for the salad, and those for the homemade dressing.

Salad:

• Fusilli pasta: First up, you will need a 16oz box of fusilli pasta.
• Green pepper: Include 1 diced green bell pepper.
• Grape tomatoes: Next, you will need about 1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
• Red onion: Add some savory flavor with ½ of a red onion, diced.
• Salami: Add protein with 8oz of salami, diced into small pieces.
• Mozzarella: Boost the flavor with 1 cup of cubed mozzarella.
• Pepperoncini: Follow the mozzarella with ¾ cup of diced pepperoncini (not to be confused with pepperoni, although, that would make a great addition to this recipe too!).
• Black olives: One wouldn't think they make that much of a difference, but black olives are huge in pasta salad! Their absence is always noticed. Use ¾ cup of diced black olives.
• Grated parmesan: Add a second cheese with ½ cup of grated parmesan.
• Parsley: Last but not least, finish off with ¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley.

Dressing:

• Vinegar: The base of the dressing is made of ½ cup of red wine vinegar.
• Olive oil: After the vinegar, add ½ cup of olive oil.
• Garlic: Next, add flavor with 4 cloves of minced garlic.
• Lemon: The juice of 1 lemon will add a nice tang.
• Dijon mustard: Throw in 2 tablespoon of dijon mustard for extra flavor.
• Honey: Then, more unexpectedly, add 2 tablespoon of honey. The sweet flavor is going to offset any bitterness!
• Seasonings: Finish up the dressing with 2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.

Kitchen tools needed to make this pasta salad

I love that this recipe requires only a touch of stove cooking. Other than that, it's all about chopping ingredients and mixing everything together! Below are the kitchen tools you can expect to use:

• Cooking pot
• Cutting board
• Chopping knife
• Small mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Large mixing bowl

To measure out ingredients, you will need the following sized measuring cups: ½ tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, ¼ cup, ½ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup.

How to make this easy Italian pasta salad recipe

This recipe makes a heaping 12 servings, making it great for feeding a crowd!

To begin, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Once cooked, set aside.

Then, chop and prep all of the vegetables.

Prepare the salad dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a separate bowl.

Then, grab a large mixing bowl and add the cooked pasta, pepper, tomatoes, onion, salami, mozzarella, pepperoncini, and olives.

Drizzle dressing on top, and then mix until well combined.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley and gently toss.

Additional ingredient options

If you'd like to add additional ingredients to your salad, consider some of these options.

• Yellow bell pepper
• Cucumber
• Pepperoni
• Basil
• Red pepper flakes

A great make-ahead option

The great thing about this easy Italian pasta salad recipe is that it tastes better after the ingredients have had time to sit! Many find it to be the most flavorful on day 2 or even day 3. For this reason, you can make it ahead of time to reduce kitchen prep work on the day you plan to enjoy it!

To store, simply transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. It should stay fresh and delicious for about 3-4 days.

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Looking for some more savory meal ideas? Try these!

• Coconut Curry Shrimp Recipe
• Oven Baked Turkey Tacos
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup Recipe
• Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa