Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
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This pasta salad with Italian dressing is easy to make and has the most incredible flavors. Crispy prosciutto, tender bocconcini balls, tangy banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, and parmesan cheese get tossed with your favorite pasta and delicious Italian dressing. It’s irresistible!
Forget about a side dish—this pasta salad is so good you’ll want to pile it high in a bowl and call it dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. I’m definitely not judging, because that’s exactly what I do when it’s in the fridge. It’s bold, loaded with flavor, and satisfying enough to stand on its own.
Every bite tastes a little different, but it’s always delicious. Crispy prosciutto (cooked like bacon, then crumbled) adds salty crunch, banana peppers bring tang and a gentle kick (they’re technically optional, but really not), and mini bocconcini give you those creamy mozzarella bites. Sweet cherry tomatoes, briny olives, crunchy green peppers, and red onion keep things fresh and textured, while basil and parmesan tie everything together. It’s the kind of pasta salad that disappears fast—and gets requested often.
When I make this pasta salad, I use my homemade Italian dressing. It takes only 5 minutes to make, and the flavor is incredible. It’s perfectly balanced and pairs well with this salad. And you can make a double batch and use the rest to make green salads or Italian dressing chicken this week.
Variations to try
- Make it a pasta salad with Italian dressing and cucumbers by adding 1 cup sliced or chopped cucumbers.
- Skip cooling the pasta and serve it as a warm pasta dish instead.
- Try feta cheese instead of bocconcini.
- Make it a complete meal by topping it with some sliced, grilled chicken breast.
- Add some chickpeas or cannellini beans.
How long will this last in the fridge?
Italian pasta salad keeps well for 4-5 days in your fridge, making it ideal for meal prep. If eating it cold straight from the refrigerator, you may want to toss the pasta in a little extra Italian salad dressing.
Or do what I do: add an extra scoop of banana peppers to really freshen the flavor of the leftovers.
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry pasta (I like bow-tie)
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing (I like our homemade Italian salad dressing best but store-bought works, too)
- 4 ounces prosciutto
- 8 ounces mini bocconcini (or regular bocconcini cut in half)
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- ¾ cup olives
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
- ½ cup Italian parsley (chopped)
- Optional: 1 cup banana peppers
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the water then add the pasta to a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup of the Italian salad dressing.16 ounces dry pasta, 1 cup Italian salad dressing
- While the pasta is boiling, crispy the prosciutto. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat then add the prosciutto in a single(ish) layer. Let it cook until it shrinks and becomes crisp then turn it over and cook it for another minute on the other side. Remove it from the pan and crumble it a little into a bowl.4 ounces prosciutto
- Add the bocconcini, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, basil, parsley, banana peppers, crispy prosciutto, and parmesan cheese to the bowl with the pasta. Pour the remaining dressing over the top then toss to coat.8 ounces mini bocconcini, 1 green bell pepper, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ¾ cup olives, ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion, ½ cup thinly sliced basil leaves, ½ cup Italian parsley, Optional: 1 cup banana peppers, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Video
Nutrition
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Are the banana peppers fresh or pickled? They’re not even in the video!
We use pickled banana peppers!
Hello,
I’m curious to know if the pasta needs or be to rinsed as well?
I planned on adding sun dried tomatoes and wasn’t sure if not rinsing the pasta would cause it to be sticky/mushy?
Thank you kindly
We don’t rinse the pasta!
This recipe is outstanding! The crispy prosciutto was a wonderful addition. I even warmed up some leftovers for a change and it was delicious that way, too!