Refreshing Pompeii Pasta Salad

Here is a delicious and refreshing pasta salad!

Post by Lizzie Marie Cuisine.

The Recipe

Bursting with fresh, Italian flavors!

Serves 6+

• 1 pound pasta (use your favorite: fusilli, bow-tie, piccolini, etc.)
  
• 1 cup provolone or white sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
  
• 1 cup hard or Genoa salami, cut into small cubes
  
• 1 shallot, chopped
  
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
  
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar
  
• 1/4 cup parmesan reggiano cheese, grated
  
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  
• 2 pinches sea salt
  
• cracked black pepper, to taste

Optional Items

• 1/2 red or green pepper, chopped
  
• several cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
  
• 1/2 cup large black olives, rinsed and halved
  
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  

Boil large pot of water on high heat. Add a few pinches of salt and pasta; cook until pasta is al dente, about 9 minutes. While pasta is boiling, combine shallot, garlic, basil, vinegar, and mustard in a food processor or blender until roughly chopped. Add oil to running processor or blender until well blended into vinaigrette. Drain pasta and cool in colander. Pour cool pasta into large mixing bowl and add meat, cubed cheese and any combination of the optional items. Pour vinaigrette over pasta, mix carefully. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover bowl and set in refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve cold or room temperature. When serving, top with grated parmesan cheese.

This can be an easy vegetarian dish be replacing the meat and cheese with extra vegetables.