Description
A vibrant and fresh pasta salad featuring colorful vegetables, creamy mozzarella, and a zesty Italian dressing, perfect for potlucks and summer barbecues.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound fusilli or rotini pasta
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1½ cups mini fresh mozzarella cheese balls (8 ounces)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (stemmed, seeded, and diced)
- ½ English cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¾ cup kalamata olives (pitted and halved)
- ¾ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 recipe Italian Dressing
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions, cooking until slightly past al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, red pepper, cucumber, red onion, olives, pepperoncini, and parsley. Toss to combine, then add the dressing, salt, and several grinds of pepper and toss again.
- Stir in the basil and season to taste. Garnish with more basil and serve.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. This pasta salad can be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 20mg