Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 13 – 16 minutes | Chill Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes | Serves: 10
Who has not been to a potluck, whether church or family reunion, where pasta salad was not in abundance? Right! Not many of us. Everyone puts their spin on this tangy side dish. It’s easy and so yummy! Even though there’s much pasta, a healthy amount of tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. included can make you feel a little satisfied about getting your veggies in for the day!
I have to give you a heads-up… The prep time is lengthy mainly due to washing and chopping the veggies. Turn on some fun music and enjoy the process of cooking and creating!
If you have a salad spinner, it comes in very handy when prepping the broccoli. If you bought a small head of broccoli (not precut and prewashed florets), cut the broccoli into small, bite-sized florets, rinse well under water, then pop into the salad spinner and spin the broccoli into oblivion. Easy!
The addition of garlic (pushed through a garlic press or grated on a Microplane/zester), fresh herbs, and/or Dijon mustard added to the dressing would be yummy! I kept this recipe pretty simple so that the Italian Street Fair Spice Blend (The Spice and Tea Exchange) would shine through.
I suggest cooking a medium-sized pasta for this recipe. Farfalle (bowtie), rotini, penne, etc. are good sizes. They can easily fit onto your fork with some other flavorful veggies at the same time. That makes eating a pleasure more than work.
I am collaborating with The Spice and Tea Exchange in Blowing Rock, NC. It is a beautiful store, filled with aromas and flavors that would make any foodie swoon. You are encouraged to smell and taste. I love that about this store! You’re not guessing; you can make a confident purchase. The area is beautiful, so stick around for touring the attractions and enjoying the local faves.
The Italian Street Fair Spice Blend is a favorite of mine from The Spice and Tea Exchange. It is a blend that contains whole spices, such as peppercorns, that will require the use of a spice grinder. Since I utilize whole spices often, I invested in a grinder that is used solely for spices, not my coffee. Use a separate grinder for those coffee beans. My espresso is enjoyed without the flavors of pepper or coriander.
See Notes below the recipe for suggestions on oil for the dressing. I have “olive oil” listed in the ingredients, but you are not limited to regular olive oil.
Mozzarella cheese cubes or crumbled feta would be delicious also, but I wanted to keep this recipe pretty streamlined. Add some extra-ness if you’d like!
If you love The Spice and Tea Exchange as I do, let me know on social media! I’d love to hear from you.
Enjoy!
Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
Make this popular potluck side dish with The Spice and Tea Exchange's Italian Street Fair Spice Blend for a healthy, homemade dressing!
Ingredients
Homemade Italian Dressing:
Pasta Salad:
- 4 quarts water, I use filtered water
- 2 tablespoons sea salt, see Notes
- 1 12-ounce box medium-size pasta, see Notes
- 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved longways
- 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1 small red onion, small-diced
- 1 6-ounce can pitted black olives, whole or sliced, drained well
- 2 bell peppers, seeded, small-diced
- 2 cup broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 green onions, white and green parts, 1/4" slices,
- sea salt, as needed (but probably not necessary)
Instructions
- Pour the spices into a spice grinder and grind to desired texture. You can feel the ground spices to see whether you need to grind more. The whole peppercorns will be the determining factor. You can feel the texture and determine if you’d like less.
- In a 1-quart glass measuring cup (or bowl), combine the oil and vinegar. Add 3 tablespoons of the ground spice mix and the white pepper, and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. Taste and add another tablespoon of the ground spice until the desired flavor is reached. Set the dressing aside. (I use 4 tablespoons.)
- Bring the water and salt up to a rolling bowl. Placing a lid on the pot will heat the water quicker.
- Add the pasta and stir well. Bring the water back up to a boil and cook the pasta for 13 minutes or until al dente. Your timing may differ so taste the pasta (carefully) to check for doneness. Drain the pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool. Set aside.
- While the water is coming up to a boil and then cooking, prepare the veggies. Multitasking helps with time management.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, peppers, broccoli, and green onions.
- Stir the dressing once more, taste and adjust if desired. Pour over the pasta and veggies and toss well.
- Serve immediately, or cover and chill for up to 4 hours. If you need to make this pasta days in advance, I highly suggest that you prep the veggies and dressing up to 3 days in advance; keep them separate from one another. Make the pasta the day you are serving. Bring the dressing to room temperature, then combine the pasta, vegetables, and dressing before serving. Add any sea salt as needed, to taste.
Notes
I grind the 2.1-ounce zip-top package of the Italian Street Fair Spice blend so that I have plenty to use according to my tastes. You could grind your desired amount if you’d like. I used 4 tablespoons of the mix for this recipe. The S&T Exchange sells the Italian Street Fair Spice Blend in a 2.1-ounce grinder. That’s a lot of wrist action, but you are welcome to go for it!
I have olive oil listed in my ingredients. You could use an extra-virgin olive oil or an infused oil. I love Abingdon Olive Oil Company’s infused oils. Their Lemon, Garlic or Milanese Gremolata would work really well in this recipe.
You may certainly use other vinegars. I chose a basic vinegar because I didn’t want to overpower the flavors of the Spice Blend. Something fruity would not taste very good for this recipe. But, you can use red wine vinegar, distilled vinegar, or balsamic. Keep in mind a dark balsamic will darken the dressing and add a bit of sweetness. Taste the vinegar before adding to be sure you’ll be happy with your choice. The vinegar plays a very prominent role in the flavor of the pasta salad.
Salt your pasta water. “It should taste like the sea.” I found that 4 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt was perfect. Keep in mind that different salts have different salt contents. Kosher salt is not as “salty” tasting as common table salt. If you diverge from the salt I have listed in the ingredients, start small and taste as you add so you don’t use too much and have to pour it out and start over.
If you choose to make the dressing earlier than when the pasta salad is ready to serve, keep it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring the dressing to room temperature before using.
The sodium listed on the nutrition chart is only a guesstimate.
Nutrition Facts
Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
Amount per Serving
Calories
464.22
% Daily Value*
Fat
35.88
g
55
%
Saturated Fat
5.12
g
32
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
3.86
g
Monounsaturated Fat
25.73
g
Cholesterol
0.12
mg
0
%
Sodium
365.79
mg
16
%
Potassium
327
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
31.7
g
11
%
Fiber
2.7
g
11
%
Sugar
4.29
g
5
%
Protein
5.72
g
11
%
Vitamin C
45.46
mg
55
%
Calcium
28.4
mg
3
%
Iron
1.1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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