I’ve been in a groove lately of trying to eat at least one salad a day. This spring and early summer we’ve had lettuce going bonkers in our garden, so much that we’ve barely been able to keep up with it, and I’ve been trying all kinds of different combinations, dressings and add-ins to keep things interesting. This Italian Pasta Salad is a departure from that theme, and a bit of a respite from all that lettuce. In fact this is the first in my series of main dish salads that doesn’t begin with a bed of greens. With its pasta base and the Italian-sub combination of salami, cheese and red-wine vinaigrette, you might think this salad is on the decadent side but don’t worry: it has a high ratio of good veggies to pasta, and a fresh, bright, flavor profile that sets it apart from the usual, heavily-dressed pasta salad.
Let’s talk about the dressing. It starts with finely minced red onion, which soaks in red wine vinegar to soften its sharp flavor. Whisk in some garlic, Dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil, then toss in fresh herbs – basil is preferred, but parsley would do.
Feel free to switch up the vegetables if you like. Although this isn’t strictly necessary — this is your salad after all, you can make it any way you want – I stick to red and green vegetables so the salad retains the colors of the Italian flag. It’s hard to beat tomatoes and red peppers for their glowing red color, but you could try red cabbage or radicchio. For green the possibilities are wide open – try blanched asparagus or green beans, green bell peppers, snap peas or cucumbers, to name a few.
And finally there’s the protein, which is what makes this salad hearty enough to stand on its own as a main dish. First I add small half-moons or cubes of Italian salami such as Genoa, and a semi-soft cheese such as mozzarella or Fontina. To take it to the next level, add another protein that has a milder taste than the salami and a creamy texture. Most often that’s either canned chickpeas, or cubes of leftover grilled or roasted chicken. Recently I had a couple of grilled, Caesar-dressed swordfish fillets left over from making Grilled Caesar Swordfish Sandwiches, so I cubed those up and tossed them in: delicious. Cold roasted salmon, or drained and flaked canned oil-packed tuna would also be good choices.
This is the fifth in my occasional series of Main Dish Salads. Here are the others:
- #1: Baby Greens with Chicken and Goat Cheese
- #2: Not Quite Nicoise
- #3: Chili Chicken Chopped Salad
- #4: Spinach Salad with Bacon, Egg, and Maple Vinaigrette
- For more salad-building ideas, see my Salad Matrix.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Pasta salads are ideal for making ahead. If you make this salad earlier in the day, keep it in the fridge until about an hour before serving, then let it sit at room temperature to enhance the flavors.
- This salad will keep for 2 or 3 days, although if you’re adding fish for the protein I would hold that separately and add it just before serving. If the salad has been chilled overnight or longer, the pasta will absorb some of the dressing and may get a little dry, so toss it with a splash of olive oil before serving.
Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup finely minced red onion
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 12 ounces short, curly or frilly pasta such as cavatappi, fusilli or farfalle
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and large-diced
- 2 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved if large
- 4 ounces cheese such as Fontina, mozzarella, smoked mozzarella or provolone, cubed
- 4 ounces salami such as Genoa, hard salami or soppressata, cubed or cut into half moons
- One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 8 ounces cold, cooked chicken or fish such as swordfish, salmon or tuna, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped or julienned fresh basil
Directions
- Step 1 Measure out the vinegar in a 1- or 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Add the onion and set it aside to soak.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of kosher salt. Have a bowl of ice water standing by. Blanch the broccoli florets for 1 minute, then immediately fish them out of the water with a spider or sieve – do not dump out the boiling water – dump the florets into the ice water to shock. Once the broccoli is cold, remove it from the ice water and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
- Step 3 Add more kosher salt to the boiling water (a small handful) and then stir in the pasta. Cook the pasta as directed on the package. When it’s done, drain the pasta and run cold water over it, tossing with a spoon until all the pieces of pasta are cool. Leave the pasta in the sink to drain.
- Step 4 Finish the dressing. Mince the garlic, then add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt if using Diamond Crystal brand (or ¼ teaspoon of Morton’s), Mince the salt and garlic together, turning the knife blade on its side and mashing them to make a paste. Add this to the vinegar/onion mixture along with the Dijon mustard and red pepper flakes, and whisk to combine. Pour in enough olive oil to bring the level of the dressing up to 1 cup, and whisk to thoroughly combine the dressing.
- Step 5 Although not absolutely necessary, it enhances the flavor of the salad if you let the pasta sit in the dressing for a while before finishing the preparation. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and pour about ¾ of the dressing over it. Toss to combine, and let the pasta sit for about an hour.
- Step 6 Add the blanched broccoli, the red pepper, celery, tomatoes, cheese, salami and chickpeas or chicken (if you’ll be using fish, wait until the next step to add it). Toss to combine all the ingredients. Add the remaining dressing and toss again. If the salad seems dry, drizzle on a little more olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Step 7 Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or individual bowls. If using fish for the protein, carefully nestle the pieces of fish into the salad now. Sprinkle the salad with the basil.
