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Italian Pasta Salad

Italian pasta salad with rotini tossed in Italian dressing and loaded with salami, cubed mozzarella, olives, and colorful peppers. Chilled for a couple hours so the flavors meld like a classic antipasto salad.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian pasta salad mix
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 16 oz Italian dressing
  • 8 oz salami cubed
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese cubed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup black olives sliced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup red bell pepper diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion diced
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and rinse the pasta
  1. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions until tender, then drain and rinse with cold water.
  2. Spread the rinsed pasta on a sheet pan to cool slightly before mixing.
Toss with Italian dressing and add mix-ins
  1. In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the Italian dressing and toss to coat evenly.
  2. Add the salami, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, black olives, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and red onion.
  3. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning over the top.
  4. Toss everything together until well combined and the dressing coats the pasta and vegetables.
Chill and finish
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours, tossing occasionally to keep the ingredients evenly dressed.
  2. Before serving, taste and add more Italian dressing if needed to loosen and coat.

Notes

For the best texture, rinse the pasta well and cool it before dressing so it doesn’t turn sticky. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended because the vegetables can get watery. To make it vegetarian, replace the salami with cubed salami-style vegetarian deli slices while keeping the same cheese and dressing.