Cold Italian Pasta Salad With Salami - The Yummy Bowl (2024)

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• Dry pasta - feel free to choose any type of small or medium-cut pasta that tickles your taste buds. Personally, I enjoy incorporating fusilli, rotini (twists), bowtie, penne, or pasta shells all work amazingly. These varieties possess plenty of nooks and crannies that are perfect for holding onto the dressing and chopped ingredients. If you require a gluten-free salad, you can easily substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta, such as lentil or chickpea pasta.
• Black olives - These olives provide a subtle saltiness. You can also use kalamata olives or green olives. If you prefer, you can omit them altogether.
• Parmesan cheese - for the best outcome, use a fresh block of parmesan and grate it finely, almost to a powdery consistency. Alternatively, you can substitute it with crumbled, marinated feta cheese.
• Bell peppers - we used fresh in this recipe but we also love adding marinated or roasted capsicum to infuse the salad with a lively, smoky, fresh, and sweet flavor.
• Salami - Kielbasa, smoked sausage, or cured ham. This ingredient imparts a savory and salty kick to the salad. I prefer purchasing it in sausage form and cutting it into small pieces, but shaved salami is also a viable option. Whether you opt for mild or hot salami depends on your personal preference. You can even swap regular salami for pepperoni-cured ham (prosciutto), provided it's of high quality and suits your taste.
• Parsley - chopped parsley adds a burst of freshness and vibrant color. Whenever possible, use fresh parsley (any type works, Italian or curly). Alternatively, you can swap it for fresh basil leaves if you prefer.
• Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes contribute vivid color, rich flavor, and a touch of freshness to the mix. If you plan to prepare the salad in advance, consider leaving out the cherry tomatoes until just before serving to prevent them from becoming soft.
• Red onion - this ingredient provides both texture and a satisfying bite to the salad. You can actually use either regular onion or red onion. Read more about the differences between the two.

Variations and Ideas

• Meat options: Swap salami for pepperoni, diced cooked ham (we love ham & cheese pasta salads!), cooked chicken. We also love grilled or sauteed shrimp for added protein.
• No meat pasta salad: Omit the meat and enhance the vegetable content. For a vegetarian pasta salad, consider substituting the salami with cannellini beans, black beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans.
• Dressing ideas: You can also swap the olive oil dressing for a creamy one like yogurt dressing or green goddess dip (just add more olive oil, water or runny yogurt to make it runny), or mix in or sundried tomato or green pesto. So tasty!
• Swap the pasta: Opt for short pasta choices like farfalle (bow-tie), elbow, tri-color rotini, penne, or any other bite-sized pasta variety you prefer.

• ▢ ⅓ cup parmesan, grated or chopped
• ▢ ¾ ounce pasta, gluten free if preferred
• ▢ 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
• ▢ 1 red onion, diced
• ▢ 2 small cucumbers, or ½ large, sliced
• ▢ 5 oz black olives, drained, pitted, sliced
• ▢ 2 cup parsley, chopped
• ▢ 2 bell peppers, 1 red 1 yellow
• ▢ 4 oz salami , or smoked sausage or cured ham, sliced or cubed

Italian-Style Salad Dressing

• ▢ ½ teaspoons dried thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoons fresh lemon or lime juice
• ▢ ½ cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ kosher salt, to taste
• ▢ black pepper, to taste

• Prepare the Dressing: In a mixing bowl or mason jar, blend together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and maple syrup. Whisk or shake well until combined. If you can, make extra dressing to drizzle over the salad the next day.

• Cook the pasta as per the package directions, then drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.

• Let it cool, and then drizzle half of the dressing over it, tossing to combine.

• Assemble: Add the Ingredients: Incorporate parmesan, salami, black olives, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, bell peppers and additional dressing to your liking.

• Serve right away or chill the Italian pasta salad in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

• Since the dressing tends to separate when left undisturbed, be sure to give it a thorough shake before drizzling it onto the salad. You might not require the entire dressing, so feel free to add it to your liking, and any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• How to keep pasta salad from drying out?To prevent pasta salad from drying out, cook the pasta to al dente and rinse it under cold water to stop cooking and remove starch. Also, ensure it's well-dressed and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for freshness; if it becomes dry, revive it with additional dressing, olive oil, or lemon juice.
• Do you need to rinse pasta? Rinsing the pasta serves two main purposes: It rapidly cools down the pasta, which is perfect for creating a cold salad. It safeguards the pasta from sticking together, particularly beneficial when the salad won't be served immediately.

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