Antipasto Pasta Toss

This recipe has a nice balsamic vinegar and oil mixture with parsley and oregano and Parmesan mixed in. The additional robust ingredients of pepperoni, salami and Asiago cheese make it a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients -

1 Pound Penne Pasta
1/4 Pound Genoa Salami (chopped )
1/4 Pound Pepperoni Sausage(chopped)
1/2 Pound Asiago Cheese (diced )
1 (6 Ounce) Can Black Olives (drained and chopped )
1 Red Bell Pepper (diced )
1 Green Bell Pepper (chopped)
3 Tomatoes (chopped )
1 (7 ounce) Package Dry Italian-Style Salad Dressing Mix
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper.

Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.

2. Drain and cool under cold water.

3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, pepperoni, salami, black olive, Asiago cheese, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and tomatoes.

4. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix.

5. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

6. For the dressing preparation whisk together the parsley, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.

7. Right before serving, pour dressing over the salad.

8. Mix well.

Cooking Tip

Pasta Shapes

When making a dish, if you are using different pastas, make sure that you choose pastas with similar sizes and shapes so that they cook in the same amount of time.

Cooking Tip

Making Pasta

So that when you are finished cooking your pasta, you don’t want the end result to be soft or mushy. Don’t let your pasta sit in the water any longer than necessary. Only add it to the pot when the water is at a nice rolling boil and make sure to keep it at a rolling boil the entire time you are cooking it.