Italian Pasta Salad
- Womenscorner Desk
- July 1, 2020
Ingredients :
Pasta: Any short pasta with cavities like macaroni, penne, bow ties is great to “scoop” up the dressing. Gluten free or white or any pasta.
Cheeses: Cubed fresh mozzarella or mini bocconcini is mild tasting not mature cheese.
Olives and salami: Zesty and salty, olives and salami add a necessary Italian layer of flavour. Kalamata, green or black olives work. Make sure to buy pitted. Pasta, olives, salami, cheese and tomatoes in a glass bowl.
Fresh veggies and herbs: A pound of grape or cherry tomatoes is absolutely a must. Their juice makes pasta juicy without many calories. Any colour bell pepper adds a
crunch. And don’t forget flat leaf Italian parsley.
Italian dressing: Quality extra virgin olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, dried herbs and that’s it!
Instructions :
You want to cook pasta until firm but not too soft because no one likes mushy pasta salad. “Taste and tell” or follow package instructions undercooking by 2 minutes. Now you want to stop pasta cooking immediately. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and let cool down. It’s a big “no-no” to mix hot pasta with fresh veggies and cheese. Pouring italian dressing from a glass bowl over Italian Pasta Salad ingredients. Halved tomatoes, olives and even cheese will end up in every bite. Same goes for bell pepper and salami.
Whisk oil, vinegar, and dried herbs and pour over salad. Toss gently but well with large metal spoon. Refrigerate salad for best results for a bit, if you can. Flavors will really come together in that half hour.
