Italian Style Pasta Salad
Italian Style Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cook pasta according to directions (season the pasta water with one tablespoon of kosher salt). Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Slice the tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Cut the cucumbers in half and then in half moons approximately ¼” thick and add to the bowl. Roughly chop the olives, artichoke hearts and parsley and add to the bowl. Now, add in about ¼ C of the sweet Italian dressing and give it all a mix. Now, add the cooked pasta, mozzarella pearls and the rest of the dressing. Mix it all together and you’re ready to serve. Enjoy!
- Note: once all the salad is combined, taste for seasoning. This is the time to add more salt or pepper if necessary.
- Put all the ingredient in a salad dressing shaker or mason jar.
- Shake to combine.
Video
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Let us know how it was!What makes an Italian style pasta salad?
“Italian style” in this pasta salad comes from the combination of Mediterranean-flavored ingredients and a tangy-sweet dressing: marinated artichoke hearts and green olives, fresh parsley and mozzarella pearls, plus a dressing built from olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, honey and Italian seasoning. Those elements together create the herb-forward, savory-and-acid balance commonly described as Italian-style in salads.
Why rinse cooked pasta — and how the dressing order helps texture
Rinsing cooked pasta with cold water stops the cooking process and cools the pieces quickly. Rinsing also removes surface starch that can make pasta cling and clump. After draining and cooling, tossing the pasta with a small amount of dressing first (about the 1/4 cup noted in the method) gives a light coating that helps pieces separate and mix evenly with the other ingredients when the rest of the dressing is added.
Why cavatappi works well
Corkscrew shapes such as cavatappi have twists and crevices that trap dressing and small mix-ins like chopped olives or bits of artichoke. That surface area helps distribute flavor and keeps each forkful from being just plain pasta, which is why a corkscrew-style pasta is used here.
Where this salad is good to take or serve
Prepared this way, the salad is described as ideal for picnics, potlucks, or enjoyed as a refreshing meal on its own.
Watch Dr. J Make Italian Style Pasta Salad
Watch Dr. J make Italian Style Pasta Salad and see how it comes together.
