Vegetarian Italian Pasta Salad (Printable)
Colorful Italian pasta toss with seasonal vegetables, mozzarella, and zesty herb dressing.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 10.5 ounces short-cut pasta (fusilli, penne, or farfalle)
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1 cup bell pepper (red or yellow), diced
06 - 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
07 - 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
08 - 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
→ Cheese
09 - 3.5 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls (or diced mozzarella)
→ Herbs
10 - 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
→ Dressing
12 - 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
13 - 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
14 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
15 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
16 - 1 garlic clove, minced
17 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
18 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
19 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
# How to Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a colander and rinse under cold running water to halt further cooking. Set aside and let cool completely.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cooled pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, sliced red onion, diced bell pepper, sliced black olives, quartered artichoke hearts, and sliced sun-dried tomatoes until evenly distributed.
03 - In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper until the mixture is smooth and well emulsified.
04 - Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Add the mozzarella pearls, chopped basil, and chopped parsley. Toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly with the dressing.
05 - Taste the salad and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The homemade dressing comes together in about sixty seconds and blows anything from a bottle completely out of the water.
- It feeds a crowd happily, travels beautifully, and honestly tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to mingle.
- Almost everything can be prepped ahead, which means zero stress when people arrive.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the pasta after draining because residual heat will continue cooking it into mush and nobody wants gummy pasta salad.
- Make the dressing in a jar instead of a bowl so you can shake it perfectly and store any leftover right in the same container.
- Cold dishes lose their seasoning in the fridge so always taste again right before serving and add a tiny pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon if it tastes flat.
03 -
- Salt your pasta water until it tastes like the sea because that is your only chance to season the pasta itself and it makes a enormous difference in the final dish.
- Dress the salad while the pasta is still slightly warm so it absorbs the vinaigrette like a sponge rather than just coating the surface.