Description
A reliable, travel-friendly cold pasta salad featuring ditalini, spicy salami, feta, and a tangy vinaigrette. It holds its shape well, tastes better the next day, and is perfect for summer picnics.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) ditalini pasta
- Water for boiling
- 2 tablespoons (30g) salt (for pasta water)
- 8 ounces (225g) spicy salami, sliced into thin rounds and quartered
- 1 cup (125g) feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup (60g) goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
- 1 pint (170g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium English cucumber, diced (about 150g)
- 1 small red onion, finely diced (about 50g)
- ½ cup (75g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- ½ cup (15g) fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (60ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon (5g) honey
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ditalini and cook until al dente (8-10 minutes).
- Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water until completely cool. Shake off excess water.
- While pasta cooks, prep ingredients: dice cucumber, halve tomatoes, dice red onion, pit and halve olives, quarter salami rounds, crumble cheeses, and chop basil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, salami, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta, and goat cheese.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently but thoroughly to coat. Add reserved pasta water if the dressing is too thick.
- Stir in chopped fresh basil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) to let flavors meld.
- Toss again before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
[‘Do not overcook the pasta; it should be al dente as it will soften slightly when absorbing the dressing.’, ‘Rinsing the pasta under cold water is crucial to stop the cooking process and prevent mushiness.’, ‘Use good quality dry-cured salami for best flavor.’, ‘Balance salt carefully as salami, feta, and olives are already salty.’, ‘Letting the salad chill for at least 30 minutes significantly improves the flavor melding.’, ‘Do not freeze this salad as vegetables will get soggy and cheese will separate.’]
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 680
- Fat: 14
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 12
Keywords: pasta salad, ditalini, salami, picnic recipe, summer salad, cold pasta salad, make-ahead, gluten-free option, vegetarian option