Perfect Pasta Salad

 

Recipe: Perfect Pasta Salad

This salad is great for entertaining as it's easy to double or triple to serve a crowd and it's prep-ahead friendly. You can make pasta salad up to two days in advance (it's better the second day). Simply store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes: 12 cups

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces spiral pasta, regular, gluten-free or tricolor (see note above)
• 2 cups seeded and chopped bell peppers, any color, or about 10 chopped sweet mini peppers
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, either mozzarella pearls or a block of fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 6 ounces hard salami, such as Genoa, Felino, or Sopressata, cut into bite-size pieces, you can also use pepperoni or ham
• 10 ounces (about 1 cup) grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• ½ cup sliced black olives
• ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil (if you are using dried, add 1/2 teaspoon to the dressing)

For the Italian dressing:

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon minced dried garlic
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil (if not using fresh)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional

Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions in salted water. Drain,  reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. Transfer the pasta to a large rimming baking sheet to cool for 15 minutes.
3. To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, oregano and basil (if using dried). Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
4. Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the bell peppers, mozzarella, salami, tomatoes, black olives, red onion, parmesan, parsley and basil (if using fresh).
5. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the dressing and whisk to combine. Add the dressing to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. If desired, add more pasta cooking water to the salad. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
6. Serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve (