Let’s face it, I love all pasta. I love it hot, cold and leftover!
When I think of pasta salad I think of summer. But this Italian Pasta Salad can be served all year long hot as a main dish, cold as a side dish, and packed in the lunchbox the next day for a yummy lunch your kids will love!

Don’t want the pasta? Put it over Romaine lettuce instead! I love making an Italian Salad for a crowd because sometimes I don’t want to make an antipasto and a salad. So, I combine them and there you have it! Like everything else this recipe can be adjusted depending on what you have in the house.

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Italian Salad
With Pasta:
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of small elbow pasta(or any type you prefer)
- 1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 of a red onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup of black olives, halved
- 1/2 cup of Giardeniera Italian mix, drained
- 7-10 oz pack of mozzarella balls(the little pearl ones)
- 1/4 cup of pepperoni or salami, chopped into small pieces
- big bunch of parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Boil a pot of salted water.
- Cook pasta per directions on box.
- Drain and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing per directions on box.
- Put the pasta in a large bowl.
- Add all the ingredients except for the dressing.
- Toss together. Make sure you added enough salt and pepper. It needs a good amount.
- Drizzle with a little bit of dressing and mix again.
- Add enough dressing so that everything is coated and tasty.
- Before serving you may need to add more dressing to moisten the pasta.
Without Pasta:
Ingredients:
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce, rinsed, drained and chopped
- 1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 of a red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup of black olives, halved
- 7-10 oz pack of mozzarella balls(the little pearl ones) or shredded mozzarella
- 1 can of hearts of palm
- 1 can of marinated mushrooms
- 1/4 cup of pepperoni or salami, chopped into small pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare the dressing per directions on box.
- Lay your lettuce on a platter.
- Top the lettuce with all the toppings except for the dressing.
- Season with salt and pepper salt and pepper.
- Drizzle with a little bit of dressing.
Enjoy!
Listed below are some of my other favorite salads…
No Romaine, No Problem
Shoepeg Corn Salad
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