One sister said oh you've been cooking for over 10 years be creative, my other sister said Oh! I don't really eat that, finally I called my brother and he stated why don't you just omit the mayonnaise and add in some things that you have in the fridge so that's exactly what I did and this Italian pasta was born!!
I cooked Tri - colored pasta cooked al dente tossed in some marinated roasted peppers, some artichoke hearts, sliced up olives, cut up some thick cut genoa salami that i had in my fridge, a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and provolone cheese and added some Italian dressing instead of mayo. You can also use ranch dressing if you prefer. Bring this dish to your next BBQ and everyone is sure to rave!!
Note: You can make this pasta salad the night before the longer is sits and absorbs the different flavors the better it is! You can get thick cut salami at your local deli department, if your not a fan of salami you can substitute it for ham. I used the Olive Garden Italian dressing because it's my husband's favorite, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 boxes of tri colored pasta
- 1 12oz jar marinated roasted red peppers, sliced and diced
- 1 8.5 oz can of artichoke hearts in water, cut into pieces
- 1 15 oz can black olives, sliced think
- 1/4 lb thick cut genoa salami, sliced and diced
- 1/4 lb thick cut provolone cheese, sliced and diced
- A handful of shredded cheddar cheese, about 1/4 cup
- 2 1/2 cups of italian/ ranch dressing
Directions
- 1Cook your pasta for 8 - 10 minutes, until al dente ( it should have just a little bite to it)
- 2While your pasta is cooking , slice your roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, olives and salami and place in a large serving bowl.
- 3Add the handful of cheddar cheese and your provolone
- 4Drain your pasta from the water and run under cold water
( this will stop the pasta from cooking) - 5Place the pasta in your serving bowl, and toss with the other ingredients.
- 6Add your salad dressing and toss until all of the pasta is fully coated
- 7Place in the refrigerator to cool about minutes.
