Happy Sunday! Today, just in time for your July Fourth get-togethers, I have a fantastic pasta salad. This Ultimate Pasta Salad is a perfect side dish, it’s colorful, bright, and full of great texture and flavor. Plus, it’s really simple to throw together. It’s also customizable, and if you use pre-sliced olives and mozzarella pearls, the prep is minimal. Let’s get right to it!
The Summary
Today we are making the ultimate pasta salad
Be sure to find the shoppable key ingredients and equipment at the end of the post
Ultimate Pasta Salad
1. Red Wine Vinaigrette
We will make a simple red wine vinaigrette for dressing this pasta salad. In a small jar, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon Mustard, 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard, and about ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning. Shake to emulsify and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Set this jar aside and we can move on to the prep.
2. Prep
Bring 3 quarts of water boil, covered, over high heat. You can prep all of the ingredients while the pot of water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks.
For the salad ingredients, we have: pitted Castelvetrano and Kalamata olives, white beans, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, cucumber, salami, mozzarella pearls, fresh basil and parsley.
3. Pasta
When the water for the pasta is boiling, salt the water with 2 tablespoons of Diamond kosher salt (Or, use 1 tbsp. Morton’s kosher salt or ¾ tbsp. Table salt.) Stir the salt to dissolve and add the 16 ounces of dried pasta. Cook to pasta package directions. If you’re using Cavatappi, like I am, it will be about 8 minutes.
Drain the pasta and add to a large bowl. Add the beans to the bowl and dress with about half the dressing. Toss to coat and then add the remaining ingredients.
Drizzle the remaining dressing and more olive oil over the toppings. Toss well to coat.
4. Finishing Touches
Transfer the salad to a serving platter or bowl. Drizzle more olive oil over the top and season with fresh cracked black pepper and flaky finishing salt (if desired). Top with several whole basil leaves as garnish.
While this Ultimate Pasta Salad is a great side to bring to a potluck cookout, it’s also really great as a light meal all on its own. With chewy, bouncy pasta, crunchy cucumbers, briny olives, rich mozzarella, fresh, sweet basil, and salty, savory salami, this salad has it all! Definitely a winning pasta salad!
I do hope you give this a try and swap in, and out, ingredients to suit your taste; try adding bell pepper for extra juicy crunch. Swap the parsley and basil for dill, for a punchy flavor. Swap the mozzarella pearls for Havarti cubes for a rich, creamy, nutty component. The ideas are endless! Take care and be well, xo Kelly
Key Ingredients and Equipment
Jacobsen Finishing Sea Salt | Large Serving Bowls | Salad Serving Spoons | Glass Nested Mixing Bowls | 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set | Maille Mustard – Variety 4 Pack | Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 2 Pack
Be sure to visit Beth’s Amazon Shopfront for more recommended items – from tabletop and kitchen, to travel and home essentials.
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