EASY CALIFORNIA PASTA SALAD WITH HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD:

• 1 pound fusilli or rotini pasta
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 small cans (2.25 ounce each) sliced black olives, drained
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese

ROASTED GARLIC ITALIAN DRESSING:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, dijon mustard, and dried basil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoon water
• 12-14 cloves roasted garlic (see notes)

DIRECTIONS:

1. SALAD: Cook the pasta according to package direction, drain and allow to cool to room temperature. Combine all the ingredients (except the parm) for the salad in a large bowl and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the dressing.
2. DRESSING: Place the ingredients for the dressing in a blender along with a big pinch of salt and pepper and blend until smooth (or add to a jar if using an immersion blender.) Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
3. ASSEMBLE: At this point, you can refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve as well or toss the pasta salad with dressing and top with parmesan cheese and serve! If you’re taking this to a party, I suggest keeping the salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.

FULL RECIPES

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