Name: The Best Easy Pasta Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: Pasta Salad Essentials:; 1 pound uncooked pasta; 3 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese balls, cut in half; 1 lb. salami or summer sausage, cut into cubes; 3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced; 3/4 cup pepperoncini (optional, but do it); 1/2 cup sliced red onion; 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped; Italian Pasta Salad Dressing:; 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup white vinegar (white vinegar or red wine vinegar work); 1/4 cup water; 1–2 tablespoons coarse sea salt (yes, tablespoons – see notes section!); 2 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder); 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 teaspoons each dry oregano and dry basil; black pepper to taste; fresh herbs if you want! sometimes I add fresh parsley, basil, or chives.

Cook pasta according to package directions, in salted water for more flavor. Allow to cool slightly and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Update 7/12/22: Based on reader feedback and additional testing, the olive oil in the dressing was reduced to 1/2 cup (previous, it was 1 1/2 cups).

Please note that the amount written is for COARSE sea salt. If you are using fine table salt, start with 2 teaspoons and add more to taste.The dressing itself will be very salty. Like, too salty for a normal salad. But in this recipe, that’s what we want! That dressing is going to get tossed with an entire pound of plain pasta, as well as a whole lot of fresh unseasoned vegetables, and it will taste delicious once it’s all tossed up. If you don’t want as salty a dressing, feel free to reduce it to 1 tablespoon.

You can also save time on onion prep with this guide on how to cut an onion.

The Best Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Pasta Salad Essentials

Italian Pasta Salad Dressing

Steps

Notes

Nutrition Facts