Pasta Salad
Updated September 3, 2026
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
FOR THE PASTA
1 pound short-cut pasta, such as farfalle
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
8 ounces mozzarella, cubed (or use small mozzarella balls)
4 ounces sliced salami, cut into ¼-inch ribbons
¾ cup sliced Kalamata olives
½ cup thinly sliced cucumber
3 tablespoons diced red onion
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley and basil leaves
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)
38 grams carbs; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 368 calories; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 393 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
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.
Quick-pickled the red onions in a mixture of water, cider vinegar, honey and salt on the stove. Also added chickpeas and artichoke hearts (would be great with marinated artichokes too).
Outstanding. Had to move daughter into a new apartment and needed something to bring to keep everybody fed. I made it the night before and added a grilled chicken breast to up the protein reserved half the salad dressing to give it another toss just before serving and did a little Parmesan cheese as well. Very good with toasted pita chips with zaatar and sea salt and chocolate tahini brownies, and watermelon for dessert. The moving crew was very happy. Thanks very much. I'll be sure to make this again and again.
This is tasty but I kept needing to adjust the seasoning because it came out bland. In the end, I probably used twice the amount of dressing.