Description
A delicious and colorful Italian antipasto pasta salad loaded with various meats, cheeses, and vegetables, dressed in a flavorful vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz. dry rotini pasta (or your favorite short pasta)
- 9 oz. hard salami, chopped (or ¾ cup presliced)
- 6.5 oz. pepperoni, chopped (or ½ cup presliced)
- 1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained & quartered
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup olives, pitted & halved (kalamata, green or a mixture of the two)
- ½ cup pepperoncini, sliced
- 8 oz. mozzarella pearls
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
- ⅓ cup fresh basil, sliced thin
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package’s directions, then drain it and set aside to cool completely.
- Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl or jar, then keep it chilled in the refrigerator while preparing the salad.
- Prepare the salad ingredients by cutting the salami, pepperoni, tomatoes, slicing the olives and red onion, and thinly slicing the fresh basil.
- Once the pasta is cool, add it to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients and pour your desired amount of dressing over the top. Toss the salad until fully coated. You can serve it immediately or keep it chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes – 1 hour before serving.
- Sprinkle shredded parmesan (if desired) and extra fresh basil over each individual portion and serve.
Notes
- For best results, let the salad chill for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
- You can customize the salad by adding or omitting any ingredients based on your preferences.
- Feel free to use different types of pasta as per your preference.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 30mg