Good Morning & Happy Saturday!
I just got back from a long morning walk with my dogs, and I am so excited about the weather we are having. It was 65 degrees! I was in a sweatshirt. Now that the dogs are walked, and coffee is made, it’s time to do a little Saturday morning blogging.
A couple of nights ago, I put together a list of twenty-five new recipe ideas. My goal is to post two a week. I cook a lot more during the cooler months because the summer just makes it too hot to do anything in the kitchen. I’m excited about all of the recipes because the ingredients are in season, perfect combos, and some are inspired by dishes I’ve had at restaurants.
I decided to tackle #6 on the list of recipes, the Italian Pasta Salad.
About three years ago, I spent one Memorial Day Weekend out at the lake. Someone brought this unforgettable cold Italian pasta salad. It was so yummy! Because it’s Labor Day weekend and many of you will be attending BBQs and cooking at home, I wanted to share my version of the Italian Pasta Salad. I tried to recreate it the best I could, and I think I nailed it. Kyle surely thinks so! I changed up a few things and left out the olives, but you can totally add them in if you want to. I can’t wait to bring some over to my parent’s house before we play tennis later.
Not only is this dish incredibly delicious. It’s gorgeous! It’s a beautiful dish to serve, and pretty quick to make! It’s also a great dish to bring to football tailgates this year. This can be made the night before and it tastes even better overnight! It has time to sit and marinate in the delicious garlic vinigrette.
Italian Pasta Salad With Homemade Garlic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces (BOX) Tri-Color Rotini (you can also use gluten free pasta)
- 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Fresh Mozzarella Pearls
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper
- 1 Small Red Onion
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Garlic Cloves
- 1 Cup Dry Cured Sausage (or salami/pepperoni/prosciutto)
- 1 Bunch Broccolini
- 1/4 Chopped Italian Parsley
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 3 Tablespoons Balsamic
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon Italiana Seasoning
- Salt/Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water & cook the pasta!
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a saucepan on low. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic cloves. Allow the garlic cloves to slowly brown. Make sure the oil is not too hot, or it'll start to burn.
- When the garlic is lightly brown, turn the heat off and remove from burner. Allow the pan to cool off. Once the garlic oil has cooled a bit, add balsamic, vinegar, and honey. Stir. Set aside.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the bell pepper and onions, remove the broccolini stems, chop the parsley, and add it to a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. I also added some extra garlic powder on top.
- After draining and rinsing the pasta, add it to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt on top.
- Add the vegetables to the bowl with the rotini. Pour the garlic vinaigrette on top and combine. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the sauce pan to gather all the extra leftover flavor and add it to the dish.
- Add the mozzarella pearls and cured sausage and give it a light toss. Sprinkle a drizzle of olive oil and pepper on top to finish it off!
Notes
SERVING SIZE 1 CUP (25 SERVINGS)
Calories: 160, 17g Carbs, 7g Fat, 8g Protein, 1g Sugar, 3g Fiber
You can get creative with the ingredients. The original dish had used sharp cheddar, pepperoni, olives, and no veggies. I decided to add my own touch! A couple of years ago, I would never have touched a cherry tomato. I’d pick around them or leave them out of everything. I slowly started to love them by cooking them, trying them when they are in season, and now I crave them. You really can create tastes for certain foods. I don’t think I could do that with mushrooms though!
If you want a quicker recipe, you can skip out on your own sauce and use a store-bought garlic vinaigrette for the dressing.
I think the next time I make this recipe, I’m going to use a cheese-stuffed tortellini pasta.
Sneaking in all of the vegetables brought a lot of flavor and color to the dish!
If you want to take this recipe to the next level, you can add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and olives (if you like them) as well.
The smell of the garlic balsamic vinaigrette was mouthwatering. The first thing Kyle said when he got home was “what is the amazing smell, what are you cooking?” You can’t go wrong with roasted garlic!
This would be a great side dish with grilled chicken. It has healthy carbs, fresh vegetables, protein, and more!
I made a separate bowl with no cheese and gluten free pasta. Just to show you how easy it is to accommodate any diet with this recipe. I used a brown rice pasta from Fresh Market. If you replace the meat with a vegan meat/or tofu, you can also make it vegan.
I promise you’ll have people wanting this recipe, or complimenting you on how beautiful it is! 🙂 This is one of those recipes you can make all year round and change up the ingredients depending on the season.
*tip for food photography…
I made this at my boyfriends house, and I don’t keep my cute food props here, so I used one of my shirts for the “napkin” look 😉 Gotta do what you gotta do! I am really excited to bring more recipes to the blog! This afternoon, I’m making healthy (sugar free/gluten free/dairy free/nut free) cinnamon apple pumpkin cupcakes with a coconut whipped frosting!
Hope you have a wonderful Labor Day!
Questions for you!
- Have you ever made a cold pasta salad?
- What kind of recipes would you like to see on the blog?
- Who is ready for football season?
jordan @ dancing for donuts says
ooohhhh i’m on vacation with a bunch of family this week & this sounds like the perfect dish to make for dinner one night!! love that is has so many veggies – something i don’t eat enough of when i’m away! thanks for sharing & have an awesome holiday weekend 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
This is a great way to get those veggies in for sure!! Enjoy your time with family! xo
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I don’t usually like pasta salads, but yours looks so colourful and delicious! Will give it a try next weekend!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks, Charmaine!!!
Pooja says
Yummm this looks great! I love how customizable it is. I’m thinking of swapping out the noodles for zucchini noodles and skipping the cheese to make it paleo ? Thanks for sharing!
Taralynn McNitt says
That would be so awesome! Let me know if you do it!:) Or you could even dice up summer squash and zucchini!
Linda @ The Fitty says
Hey Tara, what do you usually consider healthy? Lower fat? Lower sugars? Something else? I’m curious as to what you generally look for when creating a healthy recipe.
Taralynn McNitt says
I’m just looking for balance when making recipes! I want something with protein, fiber, carbs, and low sugar!:) But I think balance is healthy! Not all my recipes are healthy. 😀
Roberta says
I have to make this!
Taralynn McNitt says
Hope you enjoy!!!
Charity says
I love making Italian pasta salad but I always use a pre-made dressing/sauce. I am definitely going to give this a try… It looks de-lish! 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Let me know what you think!! xo
Liz | Flour de Liz says
This sounds SO delicious! I can’t wait to make this for the next BBQ/Tailgate I head to! And yes, I am SOOOOO glad football season is here! The best time of year!
Taralynn McNitt says
I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Have fun at the tailgate!! xo
Jennifer says
Something my boyfriend would eat! Yay! (he’s so picky) I’ll have to make this when we get back from our trip — I love pasta salads.
Taralynn McNitt says
Enjoy your trip, Jennifer!!
Brooklyn says
I love cold pasta salad, and this one looks beautiful! I would take out the meat, but other than that this looks perfect.
I’m the same as you with cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. I used to hate cherry tomatoes but this year I’ craving them.
Still can’t get myself to like mushrooms though. I think for me it’s a texture thing. When they’re raw they remind me of chewing on an ear, and when they’re cooked they remind me of chewing on a slug.
Gross.
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Hi, Brooklyn!
Maybe cherry tomatoes have changed, not us! lol I think this time of year, they taste better!
Yeah, won’t even attempt mushrooms.
Kath says
How gorgeous is this!
I am running to the store to make this for our afternoon football tailgate! Don’t hate me, but I’ll be added olives!
Kath
Taralynn McNitt says
Hahaha it’s ok! I know many people love olives!
Hope you enjoy!!!
Stacie says
I don’t see it but where is the recipe for the vinaigrette? Sounds amazing and I’d love to try, thanks!
Taralynn McNitt says
Hi, Stacie!
#3 With the roasted garlic is the vinaigrette! 🙂
“When the garlic is lightly brown, turn the heat off and remove from burner. Allow the pan to cool off. Once the garlic oil has cooled a bit, add balsamic, vinegar, and honey. Stir. Set aside. ”
That’s what you add to the mixture!
Michaela says
So good!!!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks!:)
Susie @ Mile High Dreamers says
YUM! I love cold pasta salad, and the colors in this are gorgeous! Ben and I are the same with tomatoes. When we first started dating, you couldn’t have PAID us enough to eat them, now we’ll eat them plain! It still makes me feel very ‘grown up’ to be eating them though haha.
I would love to see healthy baked goods, or easy veg dinner ideas. Sometimes I feel like I start making the same things over and over and it’s fun to spice it up! Oh, and pumpkin recipes, of course!
Not sure if I’m more ready for football, or all the delicious noms that come along with watching the games :). Go Broncos!
Taralynn McNitt says
Hahaha funny! I think all of the tastebuds change as we get older, or switch to a healthier diet 😉
mmmmm pumpkin spice!!
Lara says
Have fun in LA!!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you!
Anonymous says
You just won my Italian heart.
Taralynn McNitt says
xo
Kalin says
This looks fantastic! I’m a big fan of pretty much all salami and pepperoni, and I love the addition of fresh mozz. I would definitely try this one.
Taralynn McNitt says
Let me know what you think!:)
Heidi says
I made this and added cheddar cheese, parm, olives, extra onions, and pepperoni! AWESOME!
Taralynn McNitt says
Yum!!!
Lyndsey says
I love the idea of using your own dressing. I’m so grossed out by store bought dressings.
Taralynn McNitt says
It’s so easy to make and customize!
Angie says
I’m loving all of the colors!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you 🙂 The rainbow tastes better!
Loni says
Thank you for adding the gluten free and dairy free version.
Taralynn McNitt says
You’re welcome!!!
Melanie says
Look at the colors! How pretty 🙂 I cannot wait to give it a try, Taralynn.
Taralynn McNitt says
Hope you enjoy!!!
Dezzie says
We made this for our BBQ last night! Wonderful.
Taralynn McNitt says
So happy you enjoyed it!!!
Becca says
This looks so good! And I love that you made it with NO olives!! Olives =?
Taralynn McNitt says
hahaha no olives!!
Carly says
What a pretty pasta salad!! I was literally thinking how perfect it would be for end of summer BBQs and football tailgating!
When I was young I always thought cold pasta was weird. But at some point I ‘grew up’ and now I love it! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
So far I’ve LOVED all of the recipes that I’ve tried! So recipes of any kind! I find myself scanning your blog when I can’t decide what to make! I’d love some meal prep inspiration that could be good for lunches or dinners 😉 I also am always baking muffin/scones goodies in the winter to go with coffee so any recipes along those lines would surely become a quick favorite over here!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks, Carly!!!
Morgan says
Holy Crud. This was a great recipe!
Taralynn McNitt says
GLAD YOU ENJOYED!!
Jules says
This looks so delicious!! Love pasta salad! Thanks so much for sharing!
Mia says
incredible
Taryn Camp says
We just made this and it’s SOOOO good!!!
Taralynn McNitt says
Yay!!!