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This Zesty Italian Pasta Salad is the perfectly loaded with meats, cheeses and veggies and tons of flavor! This salad is perfect for gatherings and parties and always is a hit, and I always leave with an empty bowl.
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⏲ About this recipe
This is an antipasto Italian pasta salad I've been making for years and years, simply because it's so good! Whenever I take it to a party or potluck, I usually get asked for this recipe, or get asked to bring it quite a few more times.
It's so easy to just throw the ingredients together, and the dressing is just a bottle of store-bought Italian dressing. BUT the one I use is the primary reason this is as delicious as it is. Hopefully you can find the exact dressing!
🥘 Ingredients
- tri color rotini - you can substitute any pasta here, but I love the color these noodles give to this recipe. Bowtie pasta or penne rigate (the ridged kind that will grab on to all the dressing) would be great options.
- black olives - canned small black olives is what I usually use. If you like green olives, you can substitute those for the black.
- deli chicken - deli turkey or deli ham are other options.
- Italian salad dressing - this is the one ingredient I stress to NOT substitute if you can help it. This dressing has the best flavor that blends so well with all of these ingredients. I always, always use Ken's Steakhouse Lite Olive Oil Vinaigrette for this. I truly believe this is why everyone loves this pasta salad.
- banana peppers - I use mild banana peppers since there are almost certainly some people that won't eat spicy food, or kids will be eating it. If you don't need to worry about that, go for the hot ones if that's what you love. Add some pickled jalapeño pepper slices while you're at it!
- colby jack cheese - I try to get these already cubed if possible to save time. Cheddar cheese is another option here if you want a sharper cheese.
- Muenster cheese - one other ingredient you should NOT substitute if you can help it. The orange and white criss-cross marks on the side of the cheese give it an interesting visual appeal. I usually find this in the specialty cheese area, or if not there, in the deli. You can ask them to give you a half inch chunk of it and that works out fine.
- pepperoni - regular pizza pepperoni works here.
- salami - I use either Genoa or hard salami.
- tomatoes - I prefer grape or cherry tomatoes as they hold their shape and texture better. Regular large chopped tomatoes seem to make the pasta salad more watery and they get mushy.
- pepperoncini peppers - I use these whole, as a garnish for the top. It's also a way to get a little bit of a zesty kick in here, but it's easy for other people to pick around them.
- artichoke hearts - canned, quartered artichoke hearts is what I use. I don't use marinated ones. (I forgot to include in the picture above - not sure it would have fit anyway!)
🍽 Equipment
Not much is required here, but a BIG serving bowl is a MUST. Below are some items I used.
- mixing / serving bowl - these bowls are the ones I recommend. The largest size here is perfect for the large quantity this recipe makes.
- cutting boards - I prefer bamboo boards for fruits and veggies. I use plastic boards for meats and cheeses, to prevent cross contamination, and I don't want any possible bacteria getting into my wood boards.
- knife - this is my favorite knife to use. It may be a little pricey, but I've had it for over 10 years, and it's works great to this day, and I don't see it going anywhere soon. You must take good care of it though with proper sharpening and storage.
- colander - this is the colander I use for pasta and larger quantities of food. The sides pull out so it hangs in the sink.
- hand-held colander - I use a smaller hand-held colander for draining canned veggies and peppers, or smaller quantities of food.
🔪 Step by Step instructions
Cook the pasta in salted water (do not over salt!) according to the package directions. Cook until just al dente. You don't want the pasta to be overcooked and mushy.
When the pasta is done, drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop the cooking. Add cooked pasta to a large mixing or serving bowl.
Chop all meats, cheeses and veggies into bite-sized pieces.
Add pepperoni, salami and deli chicken to bowl.
Add colby jack and Muenster cheeses to bowl.
Add tomatoes and black olives to bowl.
Add drained artichoke hearts and drained banana peppers to bowl. I actually don't fully drain the banana peppers. I leave maybe ¼ of the jar full of juice in. I think it adds great flavor to a cold Italian-style pasta salad.
Add Italian salad dressing to the bowl (about ¾ of the bottle) and get ready to mix!
Top with pepperoncini peppers.
Let the Zesty Italian Pasta Salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
📋 Recipe Tips
- Try different types of pasta to change things up! Try bowtie pasta, macaroni, penne rigate, radiatori, or even tortellini. Tri color pasta is always preferred since this is a colorful dish.
- Look for cubed cheese, and pre-sliced meats to save on prep time.
- To make this even more zesty and spicy, use hot banana peppers and add pickled jalapeños or hot cherry peppers.
- This pasta salad is easy to make ahead - and it is preferred since the flavor gets better overnight. Make the day before and store covered in the refrigerator until it's time to be served.
🥘 Storage and leftovers
If you have leftovers, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should last for about three to four days (if it's not all eaten by then!) sealed in the fridge.
Although this pasta salad is cold, it does not freeze well. I do not recommend it.
❓Frequently asked questions
Two days would be the most I would do, although one day is best. You want all of the ingredients to be as fresh as possible. They may start to break down the longer they sit in the mixed dressing.
Since there are meats and cheeses, I wouldn't let it sit out longer than it needs to be. After everyone is done eating, I like to put this away in the refrigerator to ensure it is kept at a safe temperature and is still good to eat at a later time.
🥗 Other recipes that are great to take to a party or potluck
- Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
- Pulled BBQ Chicken
- Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Salsa
- Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza
- Crab and Artichoke Dip
📋 Recipe
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tri-color rotini pasta
- 6 ounces pepperoni cut into bite size
- 8 ounces hard salami cut into bite size
- 9 ounces deli chicken breast cut into bite size
- 8 ounces colby jack cheese cut into bite size
- 8 ounces muenster cheese cut into bite size
- 10 ounces grape tomatoes
- 6 ounces small black olives drained
- 14 ounces quartered artichoke hearts drained
- 16 ounces mild banana peppers mostly drained
- 12 ounces Italian salad dressing Ken's Steakhouse Lite Olive Oil Vinaigrette
- 16 ounces pepperoncini peppers for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water (do not over salt!) according to package directions. Cook on shorter recommended time, as you don't want the pasta overcooked or mushy.
- Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- Add cooked and cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Chop all meats, cheeses and veggies into bite-sized pieces.
- Add pepperoni, salami and deli chicken to the bowl with the pasta.
- Add the colby jack cheese and the muenster cheese to the bowl.
- Add the tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts and the banana peppers to the bowl. (For the banana peppers, I like to leave a small amount of the juice in the jar when I drain them, and I add that to the pasta salad. It gives it good extra acidic flavor.)
- Add salad dressing and thoroughly mix. Top pasta salad with pepperoncini peppers for garnish.
- Let the pasta salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
- Try different types of pasta to change things up! Try bowtie pasta, macaroni, penne rigate, radiatori, or even tortellini. Tri color pasta is always preferred since this is a colorful dish.
- Look for cubed cheese, and pre-sliced meats to save on prep time.
- To make this even more zesty and spicy, use hot banana peppers and add pickled jalapeños or hot cherry peppers.
- This pasta salad is easy to make ahead - and it is preferred since the flavor gets better overnight. Make the day before and store covered in the refrigerator until it's time to be served.
- If you have leftovers, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should last for about three to four days (if it's not all eaten by then!) sealed in the fridge.
- Although this pasta salad is cold, it does not freeze well. I do not recommend it.
- How far in advance can I make this pasta salad? Two days would be the most I would do, although one day is best. You want all of the ingredients to be as fresh as possible. They may start to break down the longer they sit in the mixed dressing.
- How long can the pasta salad sit out? Since there are meats and cheeses, I wouldn't let it sit out longer than it needs to be. After everyone is done eating, I like to put this away in the refrigerator to ensure it is kept at a safe temperature and is still good to eat at a later time.
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