Appetizers Turned Into Side Dishes

  

I love when foods are re-imagined. This pasta salad has all of the flavors of Italian antipasto thrown together in a delicious side dish.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound seashell pasta
1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped (we used mini pepperoni)
1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced (diced firm mozzarella can also be used)
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 ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Dayna. You can find it here.

Notes: My picky eater boys loved this and ate it for lunch until the leftovers were gone. They especially loved the salami and mini pepperoni. That is a win in my book!