Pasta Salad
Tender rotini tossed with crisp vegetables, salami, and a tangy Italian dressing — the kind of crowd-pleasing side that gets better the longer it sits.
Ingredients
- 12 ozrotini pasta
- 1 tspsalt(for pasta water, plus more to taste)
- 1 cupcherry tomatoes(halved)
- 1 mediumcucumber(diced)
- ½ cupblack olives(sliced)
- ½ cupred onion(finely diced)
- 1 mediumgreen bell pepper(diced)
- 4 ozsalami(quartered or roughly chopped)
- 4 ozprovolone cheese(cubed)
- ½ cuppepperoncini(sliced, brine reserved)
- ¾ cupItalian dressing(store-bought or homemade)
- 2 tbsppepperoncini brine(from the jar)
- ¼ cupgrated Parmesan(freshly grated preferred)
- 1 tspdried oregano
- ¼ tspblack pepper(freshly ground)
Method
- 01
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tsp salt. Cook the 12 oz rotini pasta 1–2 minutes past al dente — slightly softer holds up better once chilled. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool.
- 02
While the pasta cooks, halve the 1 cup cherry tomatoes, dice the 1 medium cucumber and 1 medium green bell pepper, finely dice the ½ cup red onion, and slice the ½ cup black olives and ½ cup pepperoncini. Set all vegetables aside.
- 03
Chop the 4 oz salami into bite-sized pieces and cube the 4 oz provolone cheese.
- 04
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ¾ cup Italian dressing, 2 tbsp pepperoncini brine, 1 tsp dried oregano, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- 05
Add the cooled pasta to the bowl and toss to coat evenly in the dressing.
- 06
Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, black olives, pepperoncini, salami, and provolone. Toss everything together until well combined.
- 07
Sprinkle in the ¼ cup grated Parmesan and toss once more. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- 08
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to let the flavors meld. Toss again just before serving and add a splash of Italian dressing if the pasta has absorbed too much.
Adapted from public domain & community sources