Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound fusilli or rotini pasta
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1½ cups mini fresh mozzarella cheese balls (8 ounces)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
- ½ English cucumber, diced
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- ¾ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 recipe Italian Dressing
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until slightly past al dente. Drain the pasta, toss with a drizzle of olive oil, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, olives, pepperoncini, and parsley. Toss to combine.
- Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta salad. Add the sea salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss everything until evenly coated.
- Stir in the 1 cup of fresh basil leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Garnish with more fresh basil leaves and serve.
Notes
- You can cook the pasta ahead of time. Let it cool completely before mixing with the other ingredients.
- For best flavor, let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. This allows the flavors to blend.
- Feel free to add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a main dish.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 25mg