Servings
Font
Back
The Best Pasta Salad
5 from 24 votes

The Best Pasta Salad

The Best Pasta Salad blends cooked fusilli with a tangy dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and a touch of sugar. Fresh vegetables like grape tomatoes, cucumber, orange bell pepper, and olives add brightness and crunch, while diced salami and feta cheese bring savory notes and creaminess. Fresh dill, parsley, and arugula add herbal freshness that finishes the salad with balanced flavors and textures.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish, Salad
Cuisine: American, International

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fusilli pasta
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • salt to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • 1 cup grape tomato halved
  • 1 cup cucumber diced, Persian variety
  • 1 cup orange bell pepper diced
  • ½ cup hard salami diced
  • ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
  • ½ cup red onion sliced
  • ⅓ cup kalamata olives torn
  • 2 tablespoons dill chopped, fresh
  • 2 tablespoons parsley chopped fresh leaves
  • 2 cups arugula

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic and sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Stir in warm pasta; let cool 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, salami, feta, red onion, olives, dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Cover and chill, if desired.
  6. Stir in arugula. Serve immediately.