Italian pasta salad is one of my favorite cold pasta salad dishes! Fresh and colorful vegetables, cheese, salami, and Italian vinaigrette are tossed with your favorite pasta to create an unforgettable dish for just about any summer occasion.
Pasta salads are one of my go-to potluck dishes from easy and fresh Greek Pasta Salad to a delicious Caesar Pasta Salad and of course my famous Dill Pickle Pasta Salad! Not only does everyone love them, but pasta salads are super easy to make and they’re even better when made ahead of time!
How to Make a Pasta Salad?
It’s very flexible. These are my favorite pasta salad mix-ins:
. Yummy cheeses. Tomatoes or some other friendly non-threatening vegetable. Greens of some sort – even if it’s just fresh parsley. Olives and red onions and pepperoncini.
Also, we need pasta with a good solid texture and shape to absorb all the sauce. I like rotini. (Also, DeLallo! It’s our favorite. The semi-rough texture is unrivaled for sauce-soakage. I get mine at Target or Cub Foods.)
Italian Pasta Salad Dressing
To make this recipe quick and easy, I use a bottled Italian dressing but of course, homemade Italian Dressing is amazing if you have the ingredients on hand.
Make-ahead… The best thing about this pasta salad recipe is that it gets better as it sits and the flavors blend! It’s the perfect make-ahead side dish, it takes 20 only about minutes to prepare. What could be better than that?
As this Italian pasta salad sits in the fridge, the acids in the dressing actually work to help break down the starches in the pasta and the proteins in the veggies, resulting in a more flavorful and tender pasta salad (so be sure not to overcook your noodles)!
Full Recipe For Italian Pasta Salad
To toast almonds, sprinkle in an ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes stirring frequently until almonds begin to brown, then stirring constantly until light brown
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Start to Finish: 25 Minutes
Servings: 10
Indegreints
- 1 box (7.75 oz) Betty Crocker
- classic pasta salad mix
- 1 package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle
- soup mix
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and
- carrots)
- 1 cup fresh snow pea pods, strings removed,
- cut diagonally into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1 can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained
Method
1. Fill 3-quart saucepan two-thirds full of water; heat to boiling. Empty pasta mix (from Suddenly
Salad box) into boiling water. Gently boil uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain; rinse with
cold water. Shake to drain well.
2. In a large bowl, mix contents of seasoning pouches (from salad and soup mixes), the sugar, oil, vinegar, water, and soy sauce. Stir in pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds, and oranges.
3. Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles (from soup mix); stir into pasta mixture. Refrigerate leftovers.
Nutrients
- Calories 220; Total Fat 9g (Saturated
- Fat 1.5g); Sodium 610mg;
- Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary
- Fiber 3g); Protein 5g
SERVE-WITH This salad is delicious served with grilled chicken, burgers, or pork
To understand about Adhesive Dressing industry, Read here
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