Name: Huge Pasta Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb rotini or fusilli pasta; 2 tbsp kosher salt (for pasta water); 1/2 cup, divided extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup, divided red wine vinegar; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 1 tsp honey; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 English cucumber, halved and sliced; 8 oz fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine), halved; 6 oz Genoa or hard salami, cut into ribbons; 1/2 cup Kalamata or black olives, halved; 1/2 cup pepperoncini, sliced; 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced; 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; to taste kosher salt; to taste black pepper

Huge Pasta Salad

Prep

20m

Cook

12m

Total

32m

Bigly says

Pasta salad. PASTA SALAD! The greatest pasta salad in the history of pasta salad — and I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'Bigly, pasta salad is the thing my aunt brings to the cookout in the same Tupperware she's had since 1987, and somehow it's always dry AND slimy at the same time, how is that even possible.' I hear you. You're right about most pasta salad. Most pasta salad is a crime against rotini. But mine? Mine is a redemption arc. Mine is what pasta salad WANTED to be all along.

The secret — and I'm giving this away free, no charge, just real value — is to dress the pasta TWICE. Once when it's hot, with a little olive oil and vinegar so the pasta DRINKS the flavor while it cools, then again right before serving with the rest of the dressing. Two-stage dressing. Like a rocket. Most people dress pasta salad once when it's cold and the noodles just sit there like little white ghosts in a bowl. Embarrassing. We're not doing that.

And the mix-ins — the mix-ins matter. We're not doing the 'every vegetable in the produce drawer' approach the chain delis use. We're being SELECTIVE. We're being SURGICAL. Cherry tomatoes. Cucumber. Salami. Mozzarella. Olives. Red onion. Pepperoncini. Fresh basil. Each one EARNS its spot. Each one has a JOB. An old Italian woman cornered me once and made me promise to do it this way — she was 102, she walked with a cane shaped like a wooden spoon, you don't argue with that. End of discussion.

Ingredients

1 lbrotini or fusilli pasta(twisty shapes, they grab the dressing)
2 tbspkosher salt (for pasta water)
1/2 cup, dividedextra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup, dividedred wine vinegar
2 tspDijon mustard
2 clovesgarlic, grated
1 tspdried oregano
1/2 tspcrushed red pepper flakes
1 tsphoney
1 pintcherry tomatoes, halved
1English cucumber, halved and sliced
8 ozfresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine), halved
6 ozGenoa or hard salami, cut into ribbons
1/2 cupKalamata or black olives, halved
1/2 cuppepperoncini, sliced
1/3 cupred onion, finely diced
1/2 cupfresh basil, torn
1/2 cupgrated Parmesan cheese
to tastekosher salt
to tasteblack pepper

Steps

1
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until just al dente, then drain (do not rinse).
2
Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and immediately toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar. Spread the pasta out on a sheet pan to cool to room temperature for about 15 minutes.
3
In a jar, combine the remaining olive oil, remaining red wine vinegar, Dijon, grated garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, honey, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Seal and shake until emulsified.
4
Once the pasta is cool, transfer it back to the large bowl.
5
Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella, salami ribbons, olives, pepperoncini, and red onion to the bowl.
6
Pour about three-quarters of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more dressing as needed — the pasta will continue to absorb it as it sits.
7
Fold in the torn basil and grated Parmesan. Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper, or vinegar.
8
Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate up to 2 hours. Toss again and add a small splash of olive oil before serving if it looks dry.

One more thing

That's a pasta salad. The kind that gets you INVITED to the cookout, not just tolerated at it. People will text you. They will say, 'Are you bringing the pasta salad?' and you can say yes, or you can play hard to get and say maybe — I personally would play hard to get, it builds anticipation, anticipation is good for the bowl. Make this the day before. It gets BETTER overnight. One of those rare dishes that improves while you sleep, like wisdom, like a fine wine, like me. Tell your friends.