Italian-American · Free recipe
Picnic Pasta Salad
Springy rotini catches bits of salami, mozzarella pearls, olives, roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes in its twists, all coated in a zippy red wine vinaigrette. It is built to be made the night before and carried to a cookout in a big bowl.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 37 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Easy
Method
-
Boil the rotini in well-salted water for 1 minute longer than the package says, since pasta firms up as it cools; drain and rinse briefly under cold water.
-
Shake the olive oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a jar until combined.
-
Toss the still slightly warm pasta with half the dressing in a large bowl so it absorbs the flavor.
-
Add the salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, roasted peppers, olives, onion and pepperoncini and toss well.
-
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, then add the remaining dressing and the basil just before serving, since the pasta drinks up liquid as it sits.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Splash in a spoonful of the pepperoncini brine along with the final dressing; it wakes up a pasta salad that has gone flat overnight.
