I love a good pasta salad as a snack, for lunch, a side for a gathering. Its so versatile and cool and light enough for those hot summer days!
What you need:
1 bag of tri-color rotini pasta uncooked
Cherry tomatoes halved
1 Bag mini pepperoni or regular sized sliced in half
1 red onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 block of Mozzarella cheese cubed
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Small can of black olives sliced, drained
For Dressing:
1 ½ cups olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional spice)
Lets get started:
Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is room temperature. Place pasta in a large bowl.
Add cherry tomatoes, pepperoni, onion, bell pepper, mozzarella, parmesan, and olives to the bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
Pour vinaigrette over pasta salad, then toss to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Pasta salad will keep for 3-4 days, refrigerated in a sealed container. Pasta WILL continue to soak up the dressing the longer it sits, so it may need a splash of olive oil and vinegar if it has been sitting for several hours.
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