Summer time means BBQ’s and all the sides that go with them. That includes my favorite: pasta salad. I love how versatile the dish is. You can add different veggies or fruit, meats cheeses…honestly, almost anything.Ā
This week for a little pre-fourth of July get-together, I made pasta salad with an Italian inspiration. I wanted something easy and fast but still delicious.Ā
I wanted this pasta salad to have a lot of color. I picked up orange bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and olives to help with that.Ā
As you will see there is not much to this recipe and is easy enough for anyone to make it. Just chop and mix.Ā
I think that’s why this recipe is great. When it’s summer and we want to be outside enjoying family and friends, we do not want to be in the kitchen slaving away.Ā Ā
When I am writing this, it is a few days before the 4th of July. Summer is my favorite time of the year, especially in Michigan, so I am excited to enjoy the sun. My mom is going on a little roadtrip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Home of Little League Baseball. Her father, my grandfather was born and raised there and it’s fun to go back and see the family that is left.Ā
I really struggled if I should go or not. I love spending time with my mom and aunt/uncle that are going, but I wanted to be in the sunshine in Michigan. This is the first trip since my dad passed that my mom is going on. You know all the jokes about “pandemic babies” and “pandemic puppies” who are so used to their parent around, that they cry/freak out when they leave? Yeah, that’s me this weekend. I want to stay here but I am so attached to my mom and spend so much time with her that I cried like a baby!Ā
Have any of you adults out there felt the same way? I used to travel around the world, my parents would go on their trips and I would feel no anxiety. Now I feel like I can’t let her out of my sight!Ā
Hopefully I am not the only one who is a big baby about this stuff, but I really do hope she has the best (safe) time! She is going to see family that she hasn’t gotten to see in years and I am so excited for her. My aunt and uncle are a hoot, so I am sure she will enjoy them as well.Ā
Me back at home? I am hopefully going to be enjoying the sun and this pasta salad at BBQ’s!Ā
The longest part is cooking the noodles. For that, pick whatever noodles you would like and cook according to the instructions on the package. I wanted to use Fusilli. I like the spiral noodles with a veggie pasta salad.Ā
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While the water is boiling, chop up your veggies. Below is the veggies and amount I added:
- Yellow Bell Pepper (1 whole one, diced)
- Orange Bell Pepper (1 whole one, diced)
- Cherry Tomatoes (1 pint, halved)
- Broccoli (6 ounces, cut up small)
- Black Olives (6 oz can drained, diced)
I add all of these chopped up veggies to a bowl. At this point the noodles are probably done and once drained and cooled a bit, add these to the bowl as well. I recommend adding noodles in smaller chunks and mixing to make it easier on you. The vegetables are heavier and will want to stay near the bottom.Ā
Since this is an Italian Pasta Salad….I, of course used Italian Dressing. I poured 4 oz (about a fourth of the bottle) and mixed. Because this is served cold, place this in the refrigerator for about an hour. Depending how wet you want your pasta salad, some of the dressing may have been absorbed by the noodles during cooling. Add a little more dressing, as you see fit.Ā
You could definitely be done here, but if you want to add a little more flair, I like to add fresh mozzarella and sometimes salami chopped up to this as well. Makes it more like an antipasto salad.Ā
Let me know if you add something else- I would love to hear about it so I can try it the next time I make this!
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Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fusilli pasta (uncooked) (or other noodle of your choice)
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1 pint Grape Tomatoes (halved)
- 6 oz Broccoli (chopped)
- 6 oz Black Olives (chopped)
- 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella (chopped)
- 4 oz Salami (chopped) (omit to make vegetarian)
- 4 oz Italian Dressing (add more if needed)
Instructions
- Boil water for noodles and cook according to package instructions
- Meanwhile chop all of the vegetables, mozzarella, and salami
- Add to large bowl
- Drain noodles and cool
- Add noodles to bowl in small lots and mix with veggies
- Add dressing and mix
- Cover and put in fridge to cool for 1 hour
- Serve (you may need to add more dressing if noodles absorbed while cooling)
1 Comment
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad - Just Jennifer Renee · February 5, 2024 at 2:10 am
[…] to check out my other recipes click here for each: Bruschetta Pasta Salad, BLT Ranch Pasta Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, and Greek Pasta Salad. All are perfect for a summer […]