The Most Extra Italian Pasta Salad

Go ahead and file this one under my favorite summer recipes- it’s that good! Pasta salad is one of my favorite summer dishes and I especially love Italian ingredients in pasta salad. I started out wanting to make a basic summer Italian pasta salad but just kept finding more and more ingredients I wanted to add! I decided to just throw every possible favorite ingredient I could think of into one super extra Italian pasta salad. It has a little bit of everything- crispy pancetta, salami, pepperoni, toasty pine nuts, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, fresh arugula and tomatoes, feta AND mozzarella cheese, and a perfectly light and tangy lemony oil and vinegar dressing. I also used two different varieties of pasta to add even more texture and surprise to each bite! Find the full list of ingredients and instructions below!

xoxo

Emily

• 1 pound penne pasta

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar

• zest and juice of one lemon

• 2 shallots, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

• sea salt and black pepper

• 1 cups fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

• 8 oz. roasted red bell peppers, chopped

• 1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

• 1 cup mixed cherry tomatoes, halved

• 4 ounces salami, thick (cube-like) slices

• 4 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced

• 4 ounces diced pancetta

• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, halved/torn

• 1-2 cups baby arugula

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Then drain.

2. While the pasta is cooking, add olive oil, vinegar, chopped shallot, thyme, lemon zest/juice, feta, and a pinch each of crushed red pepper flakes to a large mixing bowl. Next add 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper then whisk to combine.

3. In a skillet on medium heat, add your pine nuts in a little bit of olive oil and the pancetta. Cook until toasted/ crispy, tossing/stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside

3. Add the pasta to the mixing bowl and toss in the dressing until well coated.

3. Add the remaining ingredients (including your pinenuts and pancetta) and one half of the arugula then toss to combine. You can serve you salad now (slightly warm), refrigerate up to 2-3 days, or at room temperature (you will want to refrigerate if not serving within 1 hour).

4. When ready to serve, remove pasta from fridge and let it adjust to room temperature. Top with the remaining arugula (optional) and toss. Season with some extra pepper and salt.

5. Enjoy!