Deli-Style Pasta Salad
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Inspired by the classic pasta salad found in delis the world over, this one combines olives, pepperoncini, soppressata, and cheese as well as scallions and red bell pepper. Dressed in a red wine vinaigrette and loaded with texture and flavor, this one gets better by the day, so don’t be afraid to make it ahead of time.
This has been the summer of discovery for my children and their palates: pretzel rolls, kani salad (from a local sushi restaurant), and muesli (my favorite, but historically not theirs).
Their latest love is classic, deli-style pasta salad, something we picked up on a whim a few weeks ago at a favorite deli in Chestertown en route home from the Adirondacks. It was as classic as they come, a mix of rotini, olives, cubed cheese, sliced meat, and chickpeas, and their enthusiasm for it both shocked and inspired me.
You’ve never liked olives, I thought. But also: Hooray! Perhaps this can be your school lunch (until you get bored with it anyway.)
Upon returning home, I had to recreate it. Much to the disappointment of the children, I did not use tri-color rotini, but despite this oversight, they approved of the rendition, which featured the expected pantry players — cubed meat and cheese, sliced olives and pepperoncini — as well as some fresh elements: diced bell peppers and scallions. I left out the chickpeas, and nobody complained.
As is the case with so many of these sorts of salads, this one is easily customizable to tastes and preferences: leave out the olives, add sun-dried tomatoes; leave out the raw bell pepper, add roasted red peppers; omit the meat and cheese, add chickpeas. The possibilities are endless.
In addition to school lunch, this salad would be great for many a lunch as it holds up well in the fridge, and tastes even better as it sits. And should you be searching for something to make for a long weekend get-together, look no further. This one’s just about potluck perfect.
How to Make Deli-Style Pasta Salad, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: I’m using olives, pepperoncini, mozzarella, scallions, red bell peppers, and soppressata.
Incidentally, I prefer the Barilla brand for pasta. The one pictured above fell apart in the pot. Barilla holds its shape so nicely.
First, make the dressing:
In a large bowl, macerate diced red onion in red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and salt.
Let stand for at least five minutes, then whisk in honey and olive oil.
Chop up all the fixings: scallions, pepperoncini, olives, mozzarella or provolone, red bell peppers, and salami or soppressata.
Boil the pasta in well-salted water.
Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water, then transfer to the bowl with the dressing.
Add all of the fixings.
Toss. Taste, and adjust as needed with more salt, pepper, lemon, and/or vinegar.
Transfer to a serving bowl or store in the fridge until ready to serve.
PrintDeli-Style Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Description
Inspired by the classic pasta salads found in delis the world over, this one combines a red wine vinaigrette and a mix of pantry items and fresh produce. This is a salad that lends itself well to improvisation, so use what you have on hand, and use the ingredient list as a guide.
The dressing recipe is inspired by one I read about on Dinner A Love Story from Odette Williams’s Simple Pasta.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
- kosher salt
- 1 pound pasta, such as rotini or ditalini
- 4 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced (to yield 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 red bell peppers, finely diced (to yield 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup sliced olives (I’ve been using kalamata)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced pepperoncini
- 2 to 3 ounces soppressata or salami, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces cubed mozzarella or provolone
- freshly cracked pepper to taste
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, place the onions, salt, vinegar and lemon juice. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. Whisk in the honey and olive oil. Taste. Adjust with more salt to taste. Add more vinegar or lemon if you like a sharper dressing.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Boil the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Assemble the salad: Add the pasta to the bowl with the dressing. Add the scallions, peppers, olives, pepperoncini, soppressata, mozzarella, and a few generous twists of black pepper. Toss to combine. Taste. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste. For a sharper dressing, squeeze in more lemon or add a splash more vinegar.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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25 Comments on “Deli-Style Pasta Salad”
Can’t wait to try this dressing – I usually use Italian dressing from a bottle, he! Our favorite vegetarian add-in to pasta salad is kidney beans – adds a lot of bulk and soaks up the dressing nicely!
Beans are a great idea here — makes it a meal!
This looks great! I have almost all the ingredients now, just need a couple of them. Was thinking of another salad or way to use my jar of sun dried tomatoes. This will work!
Thanks so much for all your creative and versatile recipes.
Blessings
Julie
Thank you, Julie 🙂 🙂 🙂
Made this tonight for company and it was a great hit! The dressing is basic, but somehow, maybe with the addition of honey and lemon juice, it just seemed really special! I used whole wheat pasta because that’s what I had and it was delicious. With the left overs I will add some greens….
So nice to read this, Pam! Greens will be such a nice addition 🙂
Ali, I have not made pasta salad in years but you’re tempting me here. What other meats would you suggest?
PS looking forward to see what you dish up for Autumn 🍁
I hadn’t either, Lisa! Regarding meats, are you looking for something other than a cured meat? If so, I feel like leftover grilled chicken would be great.
This was fantastic! I added a can of kidney beans to half a recipe.
Great to hear, Ellen! Thanks for writing 🙂
So delicious! A definite crowd pleaser. Thank you for providing this recipe.
Great to hear, Melanie! Thanks for writing 🙂
Delicious and easy to make. Two thumbs up!
Great to hear, Jennie! Thanks for writing 🙂
made this for a family picnic, was excellent!
So nice to hear this, Amanda! Hope all is well xoxo
This looks delicious. How long will it hold in the fridge? Can it be made ahead? Many thanks.
Yes! I’d say at least 1 week 🙂
Bless your sweet heart!
Hubby absolutely loves this salad, can’t get enough of it! We like to add jarred marinated artichoke hearts. So delicious! Also with asparagus season upon us, that is a great addition! And we love to add pepper jack cheese. I could go on and on….;-)
Yum! So great to hear this, Bell. Artichoke hearts and/or asparagus sounds lovely. Thanks for writing 🙂
Just made this – followed the recipe to a T, but also added a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese – sooo good! Might also add some diced cucumber before our party tomorrow, we’ll see 😉
Yum! Sounds delicious. Love the idea of adding cukes, too! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I made this pasta salad exactly as written for the neighborhood party. It was a hit! I saved about a cup of it for myself and it was even better the next day. It’s definitely a keeper!
Great to hear, Rany! Thanks so much for writing 🙂