Description
This is my go-to summer pasta salad – loaded with two types of cheese, two kinds of meat, a rainbow of crunchy bell peppers, sweet onion and a super tasty, zesty vinaigrette that brings it all together. Fresh, flavorful and always a hit!
Ingredients
Scale
For the pasta salad:
- 1 pound (454 grams) uncooked short-cut pasta (e.g. cavatappi, fusilli, rotini, etc.)
- 1 cup cubed cheddar or gouda cheese
- 1 cup cubed havarti cheese
- 1 cup chopped salami (cut into bite size pieces)
- 1 cup chopped black forest ham (cut into bite size pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red or sweet onion, diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the dressing:
- ½ cup avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons medium-hot German mustard (or Dijon)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or tamari)
- 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water until the pasta is cooled. Drain well and place in a really large mixing bowl for easy tossing.
- Add remaining salad ingredients: Toss the remaining salad ingredients into the bowl with the pasta.
- Make dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl (or shake together in a jar).
- Combine: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss everything together until it’s well mixed. Adjust the seasoning to taste – I like to sprinkle in a bit of homemade bouillon powder or a seasoning salt. Serve it right away or chill it in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes first.
Notes
- Mustard: For the mustard in the dressing, I like to use a medium hot German mustard (this one is my favorite) but Dijon mustard works great too!
- Cook the pasta a little longer: Go 1-2 minutes past al dente. It keeps the pasta nice and soft even after it cools.
- Don’t panic if the dressing tastes salty – It should! This is not a dressing for a delicate green salad. You’re seasoning plain pasta and raw veggies so the extra seasoning makes sure that everything is flavorful instead of bland.
- Make Ahead: This is one of those pasta salads that tastes best served right away (or after a 30-60 minute chill in the fridge). Otherwise, I find that the peppers lose their crunch and the pasta starts to absorb all the vinaigrette and dry out. So if you need to prep it further in advance, keep the salad ingredients and dressing separate in the fridge, and mix together just before eating (or within an hour of serving).
