Italian Pasta Salad
Summer means BBQ season! Which means…PASTA SALAD! If you saw my other pasta salad recipe, (Pesto Pasta Salad), you know I LOVE pasta salad. If we are grilling out or entertaining, I am making a pasta salad of some sort. It’s my favorite summer side dish! Specifically this recipe, I grew up on this pasta salad. My mom would always make this for events or family bbq’s. It is so easy to make and very flavorful. Kid friendly too! I covered this pasta salad in a creamy Italian dressing, parmesan cheese, paired with olives, diced cheese, and the best part...pepperoni! As always, I love to hear your thoughts and I hope when you are grilling out this becomes a family favorite recipe!
Description
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
- 12 oz Garden Rotini (Or whatever pasta you prefer.)
- 1 Bottle of your favorite Italian Dressing (I used Olive Garden dressing. You will use about ½-3/4 of a bottle.)
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Jar of Black Olives
- 3 oz Pepperoni
- 8 oz Block of Colby Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions. Once it has been cooked, drain, rinse in cold water and place in a large serving bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the cheese into tiny cubes. Set aside
- Rinse the black olives, set aside.
- In the large serving bowl, add the cheese, olives, and pepperoni to the pasta. Stir.
- Lightly drizzle the dressing over the pasta, add a little at a time. Stir. Once the pasta is covered (not soaked) in the dressing, lightly sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese over the pasta. Stir well.
- Cover the bowl and set in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, or make the night before. When you are ready to serve the pasta salad, lightly drizzle a little more salad dressing over it. This helps enhance the flavor a little more. Lightly sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese over and stir well. Enjoy!
pasta salad, BBQ, cookout, side dish, pasta, pepperoni, olives, black olives, cheese, Italian,
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