Italian Rotini Pasta Salad With Asparagus
Pasta salad with spiral rotini noodles, bright green asparagus, cherry tomatoes, gouda cheese, salami, olive oil and seasonings! Such a delicious, quick and easy summertime classic. Ready in 25 minutes or less, this is the perfect salad to serve at (or bring to) a summer celebration.
Servings: 6
Calories: 445kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot *To boil rotini, asparagus
- 1 Large Colander *To drain/rinse pasta, asparagus
- Cutting board & sharp knife *To prep produce
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl *For combining ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 oz rotini pasta *or another shape *see note below
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion *see note below
- 4 oz. package thin sliced salami *or pepperoni
- 10 oz. package cherry tomatoes
- 10 oz. package cubed gouda cheese *see note below
- 1 2.25 oz. can sliced olives *drained *Kalamata & green olives will also work.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: add a squeeze of lemon juice or splash of white wine vinegar for extra flavor.
Recipe notes:
General: Instead of olive oil and seasonings, you can use Italian dressing or Greek vinaigrette for this salad! I would add ¼ cup, stir, taste and add more if desired. Rotini: I usually buy a 16oz box and use half! You can use regular rotini or tricolor rotini. Gluten free pasta can be used in this recipe, I like using Banza Chickpea Pasta. Red onion: If your red onion is too spicy, soak it in cold water to take some of the bite out! Cubed gouda cheese: Or sub your favorite type of cheese! When purchasing groceries for this recipe, look for cheese that is already cubed to save yourself some time. Cheese sticks are super easy to cut down into cubes and Mozarella pearls are a nice prep-free option.Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water on the stovetop and set heat to high. Salting the water is important and adds lots of flavor, so don't skip this step!
- While waiting for water to boil, remove woody ends from asparagus and chop down into small, bite size pieces.1 bunch asparagus
- Add dry pasta to boiling water, reduce heat and simmer for time specified on package instructions. Cook pasta only to al-dente so it doesn't get mushy. This means it will be tender but still a bit firm.
- With three minutes remaining, add asparagus to the pot.
- Drain cooked pasta and blanched asparagus, rinse very with cold water and place in a large mixing bowl. Rinsing removes starch and stops the cooking process, so be sure not to skip.
- Dice red onion, quarter salami and halve tomatoes. Add all three to the bowl along with cubed cheese and drained black olives.2 tablespoons diced red onion, 4 oz. package thin sliced salami, 10 oz. package cherry tomatoes, 1 2.25 oz. can sliced olives, 10 oz. package cubed gouda cheese
- Mix seasonings and olive oil together and stir into pasta salad ingredients until well incorporated.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: add a splash of lemon juice or white wine vinegar to your salad. Not necessary, but very tasty!
- Eat your salad right away or cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Plate and enjoy!
Storage Instructions:
- Refrigerate: Place pasta salad in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Leftovers are perfect for an easy lunch! Stir in some additional olive oil or a splash of dressing/lemon juice if the noodles seem to be drying out. This will freshen up the salad!Freeze: Unfortunately, I don't recommend freezing pasta salad. Once thawed, the noodles and veggies will not hold their original texture and will become mushy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6th of recipe | Sugar: 5.5g | Fiber: 6g | Calories: 445kcal | Fat: 26.5g | Protein: 28g | Carbohydrates: 30.5g