Rotini Pasta Salad Recipe
Brighten up your table with this refreshing Rotini Pasta Salad! This vibrant dish combines tender rotini pasta with crunchy red bell peppers, juicy tomatoes, and a tangy dressing for a perfect balance of flavors and textures. Ideal as a side dish or a light meal!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 157kcal
Ingredients
- 180 g rotini
- 120 g cherry tomatoes
- half of a red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 90 g cheese
- 140 g ham
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 20 g fresh herbs
- salt, pepper to your taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta by following all the directions on the package: bring the necessary amount of water to a boil, and then add salt. When you add rotini pasta, wait for the water to reboil. Reduce heat to medium and let spiral pasta to boil. Cook it until al dente state (as a rule, 3-5 minutes less than told in the instructions). Drain rotini, rinse nicely in cold water, and let them drain again.
- Slice ham into desired shape.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients: cooked pasta and sliced ham, tomatoes, bell pepper, and sliced red onion. First, cut cherry tomatoes into quarters; halve bell pepper, get rid of the seeds, and slice bell pepper halves.
- Now, add grated cheese (use a coarse grater, as small strands of cheese will nicely blend into the salad).
- The final step will be to add salad dressing, salt, and pepper. For my taste, olive oil is perfect but you can use any dressing you prefer. For me, refrigerating is optional. Some like to give it 1-2 hours in the fridge for “flavors to come together”, not my option.
- Before serving, sprinkle some chopped fresh herbs.