Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box 12oz Garden Rotini pasta Tri color, regular, bow tie, or other pasta is fine!
- 1 Cup English Cucumber Quartered and sliced (remove seeds if using a regular cucumber)
- 1 Cup Cherry tomatoes Halved
- 2 2.25 oz Cans Sliced olives Whole olives work fine, too!
- 1 Cup Fresh mozzarella cubes You can sub in cheddar or feta cheese if desired
- 1/4 Cup Finely chopped red onion Keep on the side to add if desired. This adds a strong flavor so a little goes a long way.
- 1/2-1 Cup Olive Garden salad dressing Kraft zesty Italian is also good.
- 1 Cup roughly chopped broccoli pieces
- 1/2-3/4 Cup quartered turkey pepperoni slices You can use regular pepperoni, ham or salami.
- Freshly grated or shaved parmesan To your liking for garnish or topping
- Johnny's Pasta Elegance Sprinkle in if desired
Instructions
- Prepare pasta by following box directions (add 1/2 tsp of salt to the water) and be sure to remove when the pasta is al dente, not overcooked! Remove pasta and allow to cool. I like to chill my pasta covered in the fridge and finish salad once it is cold. Combine cooled pasta, olives, mozzarella, and veggies. Add dressing and toss together. *I like to add the meat just before serving so it doesn't get mushy at all. Garnish with freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese. Sprinkle in some pasta elegance if desired. I love adding this! Refrigerate 2+ hours before serving if possible, so it is nice and cold. See the other tips and substitution options in the blog post for making this salad a success!