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Serve this delicious cold pasta salad at your next BBQ or summer party. It’s filled with colourful veggies, comparable to broccoli, tomatoes, and cucumbers, plus Italian favorites, like salami, cheese, pepperoncini, and olives.

Italian Pasta Salad

This fresh and flavorful pasta salad is one among my favorite cold pasta salads, perfect for any summer gathering. To make it a bit healthier, I load it with vegetables, use less meat and cheese, and toss it in a light-weight Italian vinaigrette. Pasta salads are one among my go-to summer dishes once I’m entertaining. They’re a wonderful side dish to pair with anything you’re grilling and simple to make ahead. Some others I make often are my Greek Pasta Salad, Tortellini Salad, and of course, my popular Macaroni Salad.

After I tested this recipe, I couldn’t stop eating it, it’s so good! I partnered with Delallo Foods to create this recent pasta recipe. You all know my love for Delallo pasta, I’ve been singing their praises for years! It’s the one pasta I take advantage of in my house. Delallo pasta comes from the birthplace of pasta, a region just south of Naples, within the Campania region. It’s produced in one among the oldest pastaficios in Italy, in reality, with origins that date back to 1795.

Italian Pasta Salad Ingredients

• Pasta: Use one 16-ounce package of Delallo fusilli, or any corkscrew pasta. Wheat or gluten-free.
• Broccoli: Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces.
• Tomatoes: Halve grape tomatoes (or substitute cherry tomatoes).
• Cucumbers: Quarter baby cucumbers. You possibly can dice an English cucumber in case you don’t have baby ones.
• Cheese: Dice reduced-fat provolone or mozzarella.
• Salami: Cut 4 ounces of genoa salami.
• Red Onion: Slice a half cup of red onions.
• Black Olives: Slice 1 / 4 cup of black olives.
• Pasta Salad Dressing: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, garlic, garlic powder, dried parsley

Learn how to Make Pasta Salad

1. Blanch the Broccoli: Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, blanch the broccoli for 15 seconds within the water. Then remove it with a slotted spoon and rinse it under cold water to stop it from cooking.
2. Cook the Pasta: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook based on package directions. Drain and rinse it under cold water.
3. Make the Italian Pasta Salad: Pour the pasta right into a large bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate until chilled.

Tricks to Help You Make a Great Pasta Salad

• Pasta Selection: Start with great pasta. I really like Delallo pasta which is imported from Italy since it’s made with just two ingredients – flour and water.
• Select pasta shapes that hold the dressing and other ingredients well. Fusilli, farfalle, or penne are excellent decisions, as they’ve ridges or pockets that may trap the vinaigrette. Rinse the pasta under cold water before combining it with the remaining ingredients.
• Dressing: Prepare a flavorful dressing that enhances the ingredients in your pasta salad. You should utilize a store-bought dressing, but I prefer to make my very own with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh or dried herbs, and spices. Make sure the vinaigrette is well-distributed throughout the salad.
• Mix-ins: Include quite a lot of mix-ins so as to add texture, color, and flavor to your pasta salad. I really like broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and olives. Also, add protein like meat or cheese.
• Chill and Marinate: Allow the pasta salad to relax within the refrigerator for at the very least an hour before serving. Making it ahead allows the flavors to meld together and the pasta to soak up the dressing. If the salad seems dry after chilling, toss it with slightly more dressing just before serving.
• Seasoning: Taste before serving and season with more salt or pepper if needed.

What to Serve with Pasta Salad

This easy Italian pasta salad can be great with grilled chicken, steak, or seafood, like shrimp or salmon. If you must add one other summer side dish, do this Zucchini Carpaccio or Grilled Vegetable Platter.

Learn how to Store Pasta Salad

For best results, eat the pasta salad the identical day you make it. Refrigerate leftovers for as much as 3 days.

Variations

• Gluten-free: Substitute gluten-free pasta for wheat.
• Protein: In the event you don’t like salami, use diced ham or turkey, pepperoni, grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, or cubed cheese.
• Vegetarian Pasta Salad: You possibly can make this dish meatless by omitting the meat altogether.
• Veggies: Mix in any veggies you want, comparable to bell peppers, artichoke hearts, or peas.
• Dairy-free: Omit the cheese to make it dairy-free.
• Add Fresh Herbs like basil or chives to offer a burst of freshness.
• Parsley Swap: Dried oregano or basil will work in case you don’t have dried parsley for the vinaigrette.

More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

chill and marinade time: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Yield: 14 servings

Serving Size: 1 generous cup

• Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.

• When boiling, blanch the broccoli 15 seconds and take away with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking.

• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook based on package directions.

• Drain and rinse under cold water then add to a big bowl with the remaining ingredients.

• Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Serve cold.

Last Step:

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Serving: 1 generous cup, Calories: 237 kcal, Carbohydrates: 28 g, Protein: 9 g, Fat: 9.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2.5 g, Cholesterol: 13 mg, Sodium: 345 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 2.5 g

This post is sponsored by Delallo Foods, my favorite brand of pasta! Thanks for supporting the brands I really like.