Italian Pasta Salad
This Italian pasta salad recipe delivers perfect results every time. The blueprint calls for perfectly cooked pasta and the right additions elevate this salad from ordinary to extraordinary.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tricolor rotini
- 8 ounces smoked beef bacon chopped
- 1 cup Italian vinaigrette dressing store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- ½ orange bell pepper diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Rinse under cold water. Rinsing, as I've found, stops the cooking process and removes excess starch, which prevents a sticky pasta salad.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
In my pursuit of the perfect Italian pasta salad, I experimented with both store-bought and homemade Italian vinaigrette. While a homemade dressing offers more control over the ingredients, a high-quality store-bought option works perfectly well and saves time. The key, as I've discovered, is to choose one with a balance of acidity and herbs that complements the other ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 13gFat: 15gSodium: 818mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g
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