Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

This Italian pasta salad is made with rotini pasta, pepperoni, salami, mozzarella cheese, parmesan, black olives, tomatoes, and a homemade vinaigrette.

The combination is delicious. Try it for a simple meal on a hot day or a tasty side dish for barbecues and potlucks.

This is one of my favorite pasta salads. I love making it in the warm months and eating on it for days as an easy make-ahead meal.

It is also a huge crowd pleaser as a side dish for parties and cookouts.

Watch how to make

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make this classic Italian pasta salad recipe:

For the pasta salad you will need:

• rotini pasta-You can switch out for macaroni, bowtie, penne, shells, and ziti.
• salami- I prefer hard salami. You can substitute with Genoa salami.
• pepperoni
• mozzarella- I prefer the block cheese diced into bite sized bites. The mozzarella pearlscan become soggy after adding the dressing. You can substitute with Swiss, cheddar, or provolone cheese.
• cherry tomatoes- You can substitute with any type of tomato.
• black olives
• bell pepper- You can substitute with rsweet red pepper.
• red onion- You can substitute with white or green onions.
• grated parmesan

For the vinaigrette dressing, you will need:

• olive oil- Use olive oil or refined olive oil. Do not use extra virgin olive oil. It will overpower the flavor of the dressing. It will also make your dressing clumpy after refrigeration because extra virgin olive oil solidifies once refrigerated. You can substitute with vegetable or grapeseed oil.
• red wine vinegar- I think red wine vinegar works best with this pasta salad, but you can substitute with white wine vinegar.
• Italian seasoning
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• sugar

Add Ins

Add ins: Cucumbers, squash, artichoke hearts, pepperonicini, sundried tomatoes, and zuchinni make great additions to this pasta salad.

Steps

Follow these simple steps to make Italian Pasta Salad.

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add sliced salami, sliced pepperoni, cubed mozarella, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced black olives, diced bell pepper, diced red onion, and grated parmesan.
3. In a small mixing bowl, mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar.
4. Pour dressing over pasta salad, and mix until evenly combined. Salt and pepper additionally to taste. Cover and store in refrigerate 30 minutes or more before serving.
5. When ready to serve, mix pasta again one more time to ensure the dressing is not settled to the bottom of the bowl.

Full recipe with ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Tips for the perfect cold pasta salad.

• Don't overcook your noodles. Rinse your noodles in cold water and drain really well before adding the additional ingredients.
• Make your vegetables, meats, and cheese small bite sized pieces. This allows your fork to grab multiple toppings to eat in single bites.
• Wait 30 minutes or more before serving your pasta salad. This allows the flavors of the dressing and seasonings to set into the pasta and vegetables.

Like this recipe? Try these!

• Shrimp Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
• Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
• Bacon Pea Salad
• Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
• Summer Corn Salad

Please leave me a comment below if you make this cold pasta salad and tell me what you think about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.

Also post your picture of your salad on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!