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.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 246kcal
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Tools and equipment:
large pasta pot, colander, wooden spoons, cutting board, paring knife, chef's knife, measuring cups, large bowl for serving
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
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 311mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g