Are you looking for the perfect side dish for this weekends barbecue? Look no further! Your crew is guaranteed to love this simple and delicious Zesty Italian Salad.
Hey, y'all! Summer is here which means one thing- it's BBQ season! I love a good barbecue as much as the next girl. Sure, the grilled meat is great but I'm all about the side dishes! No Mayo Broccoli Salad, Redneck Salad, 3 Pepper Salad, and Southern Style Corn on the Cob with Milk and Honey are some of my favorites!
Another one of my favorite dishes to prepare for a BBQ is pasta salad. There are a gazillion different ways that you can jazz up a bowl of pasta but Zesty Italian Pasta Salad is one of my favorites. This stuff is perfect to make ahead of time- it's also great for camping, picnics, or even baby showers and other parties. You can toss in some slices of grilled chicken to make it go a little further when feeding a crowd.
Simply begin by boiling your pasta until it's al dente. I run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process. You can also toss it in a bit of olive oil and allow it to chill in the fridge before proceeding (ya know...if you're the type of person who has a ton of time on their hands).
Once your pasta is chilled, it's time to assemble it into a salad. I love a colorful salad so I load this dish with loads of colors. I like to add in green pepper, red cherry tomatoes, some red onion, salami, and feta cheese. You can also add in 1/4 cup of sliced black olives and some pepperoncini if that's your jam.
Y'all! This stuff is amazing! It is the perfect dish for the warmer months and trust me, it tastes unbelievable! It tastes great with grilled chicken, steak or hamburgers and hot dogs. I love to serve it with my Zesty 3 Pepper Salad since they have a similar flavor profile.
Like all pasta salads, this dish tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge marinating. I like to prepare it the day before I'm going to serve it, or the morning of, so that the flavors really have a chance to meld together.
Kitchen Essentials:
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (bowtie or spiral) 1 green pepper, diced 1 1/4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4 red onion, sliced thin 4 oz feta cheese 4 oz salami, sliced thin 1 1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, boil pasta until it is al dente. Place the pasta in a colander and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process.
2. While the pasta is cooking, chop the veggies and slice the salami.
3. Place the chilled pasta in a large bowl. Add the meat and veggies to the pasta. Stir in 1 1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing. Mix well.
4. Keep cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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