Antipasto Rotini Salad

The first time I tried this pasta salad was probably back when I was in high school. Many years ago. But at the time, I thought it was an amazing dish. Unlike anything I’d ever tasted with cute squiggly pasta!  

My selections at the grocery store has evolved since then. Many more choices available on the shelves. Like Tri-Color Rotini. And the availability of canned artichoke hearts and fresh mozzarella! Who knew the possibilities!

WHAT IS ANTIPASTO?

Some people may refer to this recipe simply as a Pasta Salad. But when you think about it, this salad has many antipasto ingredients that I love on an antipasto platter!

Antipasto means a dish that is served before the main meal. It’s taken from the Latin root “anti”, which means before, and “pastus,” which means meal. So, before the meal.

More Antipasto Recipes

Ingredients for Antipasto Rotini Salad

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Gather your ingredients so you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

With a sharp knife and cutting board, slice the grape tomatoes and green and black olives in half. Dice the red onion. Peel and dice the carrot. Dice the green bell pepper.

Halve the pepperoni slices.

Using a fine-edge grater, grate the fresh Parmesan. If you don’t have any fresh Parmesan, feel free to use Parmesan that has already been grated.

Make and Assemble the Salad

In a medium saucepan, cook the Tri-Colored Rotini according to package directions. Empty the cooked pasta into a colander. Rinse with cold water and drain.

If you don’t have Tri-Colored Veggie Rotini you may substitute plain rotini. However, I think the colored rotini really gives this salad a nice pop of color. 

In a large bowl, combine the drained artichoke hearts, whole cherry tomatoes, halved black olives, chopped onion, diced carrots and green bell peppers, and sliced pepperoni.

Add drained rotini and toss with creamy Italian dressing. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, dried Italian seasoning, seasoning salt, and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Stir with a spurtle or wooden spoon to combine.

When I first made this salad, I used regular Italian Dressing, but I really like the taste of the creamy dressing. Feel free to use regular Italian dressing if you want. 

Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving to allow the ingredients to blend with each other. Before serving you may need to add some more creamy Italian dressing as the pasta tends to really soak it up.

Rotini pasta salad is best served cold. You may refrigerate the salad in a tightly covered container for up to 4 days.

This recipe will serve 8-10 people.

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