Italian Shell Pasta Salad
Italian Shell Pasta Salad comes together quickly with the help of store-bought bottled Italian dressing. It's wonderful as a chilled side dish or vegetarian main course.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
chill time1 hour hr
Course: BBQ Side dish, pasta side dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian Cuisine
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 246kcal
- 1 pound shell pasta cooked 2 minutes less than package directions, and drained.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup bottled Italian dressing
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup bell pepper seeded and small diced
- ¾ cup red onion small diced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 2 8-ounce containters mozzarella Fresca (cherry size), drained
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves for garnish
Add the Italian dressing and the olive oil to the hot, cooked and drained pasta.
Stir in the black pepper, bell pepper, red onion, garlic, dried basil, and dried oregano.
Allow the pasta to cool for 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese to the pasta.
Stir well to combine.
Season with additional salt if needed.
Spoon the pasta salad into a large serving bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 60 minutes.
Right before serving stir in the fresh basil leaves, and additional Italian dressing if needed.
Serve cold.
Add in suggestions:
cooked chicken, cooked turkey, cubed salami, cooked ham, tuna fish, cooked Italian sausage, pepperoni, capers, artichokes, garbanzo beans.
Additional vegetable suggestions:
blanched green beans, green zucchini, yellow zucchini, blanched broccoli, red bell pepper
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 16.2mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 0.9mg