ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

 Italian pasta salad is an essential summer dish that is delicious, wholesome, and easy to make. Made with pasta, vibrant vegetables, salami, mozzarella balls, olives, and fresh herbs, this pasta salad is nutritious, flavorful, and provides the energy you need to get through the day. It's what your summer picnics and cookouts need this year. The best part? It's ridiculously easy to make ahead (and actually tastes better the next day!).

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ pound pasta, uncooked
• 3 ounces salami (about 80 grams)
• 1 ½ cup grape tomatoes (1 pint), halved
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped
• ½ cup kalamata black olives, halved
• 4 ounces bocconcini mozzarella balls, halved
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought
• Parmesan cheese, grated (optional, for serving)
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INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool the pasta down.
2. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl or serving bowl. If not assembling the salad immediately, add some olive oil and toss together to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Otherwise, add remaining ingredients. Pour Italian salad dressing on top, and toss to combine.
3. You can serve immediately with Parmesan on top, or cover the bowl tightly with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This will allow all the flavours to infuse into each other. When ready to serve, give the salad a good toss and add a little more dressing, if desired.