Pasta Salad
Updated July 22, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1garlic clove, finely grated or minced
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1pound short-cut pasta, such as farfalle
- 1pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 8ounces mozzarella, cubed (or use small mozzarella balls)
- 4ounces sliced salami, cut into ¼-inch ribbons
- ¾cup sliced Kalamata olives
- ½cup thinly sliced cucumber
- 3tablespoons diced red onion
- 1cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley and basil leaves
For the Dressing
For the Pasta
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
368 calories; 18 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 393 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the dressing: Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano and a big pinch each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in oil; taste and add more salt, pepper or vinegar as needed. Set aside.
- Step 2
Prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente. Drain well, transfer to the large bowl, and toss with the dressing while still warm.
- Step 3
Add tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, olives, cucumber and onion to the bowl and toss well; fold in herbs. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and vinegar, if you like.
- Step 4
Drizzle with olive oil and top with cracked black pepper just before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I make variations of this all the time. One thing I find useful: put half the dressing on the warm pasta then chill the salad a bit then add the rest before serving so that it doesn’t all absorb. It stays bright and the herbs and tomatoes don’t “cook” in the vinegar. I have also gilded the lily with a little balsamic and a sprinkle of parm right before serving. Delish.
Artichoke hearts would be a good addition.
I grated the garlic into the red wine vinegar and let it sit for an hour. Then I strained the garlic solids out and used the garlic infused red wine vinegar which was perfect.
Bomb - this turned out wonderfully! It looks so pretty too.
Doubled this for a school potluck and it was a hit! To make ahead: the night before I cooked the pasta and tossed it warm in half of the dressing immediately. I chopped all of the other ingredients and kept them in a separate bowl overnight. The morning of, I combined everything with the other half of the dressing. Then heavily drizzled with olive oil and black pepper which made it look very pretty. I used a little less than the full amount of pasta and maybe a little more vinegar in the dressing and I thought it was great and appropriately dressed. I probably could have used the full amount of pasta. A few notes: 1) I used only basil at the full amount - I think parsley can really overpower a dish and add too much texture 2) Don’t use the weights in the “Metric” conversion to calculate how much produce to buy or to measure ingredients - it’s very off and you will end up with not enough 3) Definitely use high quality EVOO intended for tasting Serving size: There were at least ~60 adults and I saw some on most everyone’s plate but there was still plenty left over - so note that if this is intended as a side dish vs. entree it will serve many more than 8-10. I think this would work great as an entree though.
Have made this many times, frequently using pesto instead of fresh basil