Antipasto Pasta Salad is loaded with flavor from ingredients with several variations of acidity that brighten the dish along with the palate. Tossed with my homemade Italian dressing, it’s a delicious hearty salad that’s a meal in itself.
Add all dressing ingredients in a cruet or a mason jar, cover, and shake to combine.
Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions for 1 minute past al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water just to stop the cooking.
Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour about three quarters of the dressing over the pasta salad. Toss to combine. We want to reserve some of the dressing to add to any leftovers or to mix in right before serving.
Can be served right away or be made ahead.
Use any leftover dressing to brighten it up before serving. When serving, toss the salad from the bottom to ensure you get any dressing that pooled to the bottom.
Notes
You could also use ricotta cavatelli or tortellini for the pasta.The dressing used here is my homemade Italian dressing but with added salt and sugar. If you would like the original Italian dressing recipe, you can find it here.