Meat Lovers Pasta Salad
User Reviews
3.5
-
Cuisine
American, International
Meat Lovers Pasta Salad
Description
This pasta salad starts by cooking fusilli pasta and dressing it while warm to allow flavor absorption. The dressing consists of olive oil, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, Italian herbs, salt, and red pepper flakes for a subtle kick. After chilling, cubed salami, sopressata, ham, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, black olives, radish quarters, feta cheese cubes, and fresh thyme and oregano leaves are folded in. Bacon is added just before serving to preserve its crispness.
The salad offers varied textures: chewy pasta, crunchy vegetables, rich cured meats, creamy feta, and crisp bacon. Its flavors range from smoky and salty from the meats and bacon to bright and acidic from the dressing and fresh herbs. It’s ideal as a main dish salad for summer or as a hearty side for picnics and barbecues.
Adjusting seasoning and adding more dressing before serving ensures the salad remains moist and flavorful. Refrigerate until ready to eat to meld the flavors.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb pasta I used fusilli cooked according to the package directions
- 1/2 inch salami cut in cubes (approximately 1/4 lb, slice
- 1/2 inch Sopressata cut in cubes (approximately 1/4 lb, slice
- 1/2 inch ham cut in cubes (approximately 1/4 lb, slice
- 8 lices Bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 Persian cucumber or 1/3 of an English cucumber, diced, small
- 1/3 red onion diced
- 1 cup cherry tomato halved
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1/3 cup black olives sliced
- radish if you have them, quartered, a few
- 1 cup feta cheese cut in small cubes
- thyme leaves, handful fresh
- oregano leaves, handful fresh
dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil good
- lemon juice of 2
- 6 Tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1/2 tsp italian herb blend dried
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- While the pasta is still hot, toss it with about half of the dressing, to coat all surfaces. Cover and refrigerate.
- When the pasta has cooled, add in the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the bacon, and toss. Add more dressing to moisten the salad and put back in the fridge until ready to eat.
- Just before serving toss in the bacon and taste the salad. Adjust the seasoning and add more dressing if necessary.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
3.5
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