It’s pretty rare that I post recipes on So Good. Occasionally I will post pictures of stuff I’ve cooked, although even that is pretty uncommon. However, this weekend I threw together a pasta salad for the 4th of July BBQ I went to. I didn’t follow a recipe, but rather just made my own, grabbing things I had around my kitchen and throwing it all together. I thought it turned out pretty great, so I thought I would share with people what I did.

And yeah, I know the photo sucks. I don’t know what happened. I darkened it on my computer and made it look good, then everytime I posted the picture it would revert back to looking too bright from the flash.  I’m terrible at photography btw, which is why I could never have “that kind” of food blog.

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 pound rotini pasta
1/2 pound grape or cherry tomatos, sliced length wise
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
3 oz genoa salami
3 oz pepperoni
1 2.25 oz can of sliced black olives
2 bell peppers (I used one orange, one green, but pick your favorite)
1 medium red onion
1 can artichoke hearts

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, basil)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
several dashes of Tabasco sauce

Directions:

1. Cook pasta for 10-11 minutes. Pasta should be firm but not al dente
2. Slice mozzarella cheese into cubes
3. Slice pepperoni & salami into small strips
4. Slice red onion and bell peppers into inch long strips
5. Cut artichokes into small pieces
6. Combine all ingredients in large bowl
7. In small bowl, mix together ingredients for dressing.
8. Add dressing to salad, mix/toss thoroughly

Enjoy!

3 Responses

  1. Herbert

    That looks quite yum, minus the olives.

    My family’s pasta salad tends to include three or four different types of cheeses and the same of meats, which I heartily recommend to give it even more of a mix of flavors. For summer I also find that lighter vinegars – red wine or cidre, work better.

    Unfortunately GF pasta (with the exception of the strongly flavored Quinoa/Corn mix) does not lend itself to being consumed cold, so Pasta Salad is another of my staple foods that have become instead a rare treat.

    Reply

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