Easy Italian Pasta Salad

5 from 6 votes

This easy Italian pasta salad recipe has salami, mozzarella cheese, veggies, and fresh herbs with an irresistible homemade dressing! It's a quick summer staple you'll have on repeat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian pasta salad recipe

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

Salad ingredients:

16 ounces uncooked bowtie pasta
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 cup little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.) cut in halves
8 ounces salami diced
7 ounces mini fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
1/2 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup Kalamata or black olives pitted
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup mayo
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil a large, salted pot of water and cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Once it's done, drain it, toss it with a little olive oil (about a teaspoon or so) to stop it from sticking together, and let it cool in a colander.
Meanwhile, add the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together (or add to a jar and shake).
Prep the remaining ingredients.
Add the cooled pasta to a large salad bowl along with the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over and toss until coated. Taste and season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
Serve immediately or chill for a couple hours prior to serving.

Notes

Some of the prep time is counted within the cook time since you can prep while the water is coming to a boil/pasta is cooking.
This recipe makes quite a lot of pasta salad. Serving size depends on what else it's served with, if it's served as main course, etc., but it serves at least 6 as a main course, and up to 10+ if you're serving it with other dishes. Halve all ingredients if you want a smaller quantity.
As with most salads, the ingredients are quite flexible - feel free to sub/omit anything you don't like/don't have on hand. You can eyeball many of the ingredients vs. measuring precisely, and many package sizes vary from place to place, so don't worry. If making subs with the dressing, be sure to taste and adjust as you go along.

Nutrition