Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 pound of rotini pasta
- one cup of black olives quartered
- one cup of cherry tomatoes quartered
- one cup of cubed pepper jack cheese
- one package of mini pepperoni
- 3/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Boil two cups of tri-color rotini according to the directions on the box. I like to make my pasta a bit firm to help it stand up to the dressing. This is called “Al Dente” which means that there is still some resistance when you bite into it. It is tender but firm and chewy. I love to use the tri-color just for the colorfulness it adds to the salad.
- While the rotini is cooking, get the following ingredients ready
- When buying the cherry tomatoes, I usually pick up the medley package. Just like using the tri-color rotini, the medley cherry tomatoes help add a variety of color to the pasta salad making it more pleasing when plating. If you are unable to find the mini pepperoni, you can use the full-sized pepperoni. These can be kept whole, sliced in halves or quarters and used in the salad.And for the easiest part of the super good recipe, one cup of your favorite brand of Zesty Italian salad dressing. Once your pasta is cooked and cooled, toss all the ingredients together with the salad dressing and you are done!!!! Time for that glass of wine. However, if you really want to take this dish a step further, you can make your own salad dressing with 10 basic ingredients. Most of these ingredients, you will probably find in your own spice cabinet.
- Put all these ingredients into a simple mason jar and shake ….. be sure to put a tight lid on your jar before shaking or you will have one huge mess. I don’t want to say that I am speaking from experience; but, we will just leave it at that. When you are ready to use it in your pasta salad, give the jar another good shake before adding it to the other ingredients. This will help eliminate separation when pouring it over the pasta.This is a colorful side dish that makes the hamburgers or any main course taste even better. The colorfulness of the pasta and other ingredients makes it pleasant on the plate. My side dish is ready and I can enjoy the time watching the hubby with a glass of wine “Get his grill on”. There is nothing better than a couple making their dinner together.