The Best Pasta Salad Ever!

The finished product

I adapted this pasta salad from one my grandma used to make. It is always pretty popular, it even one second place in a contest!


Italian Pasta Salad
1 box whole wheat penne or rigatoni
1-2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup green diced onions
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
Bottle of light Italian Salad Dressing to Taste
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 lb (2-3 cups) diced salami
1 block ( 2-3 cups) of  diced Farmer or Monterey Jack cheese

This is the perfect pasta to ingredient ratio

Boil the pasta. While cooking, dice the tomatoes,peppers, cheese, salami, and green onions. Coat with Italian Dressing. Rinse the cook pasta. Let it cool. Mix with the tomatoes, peppers, cheese, salami, and green onions.  Add Italian dressing to taste. I typically add about 1/2 of the dressing. Add the parmesan cheese. Mix and set in fridge until it is time to serve. Enjoy!


Following this recipe my family of three, who eat this as a main dish, normally get several meals out of it. However, make sure to have extra salad dressing as it can dry out.

This is my personal favorite summer salad. It is excellent to bring to any BBQ, potluck, or other event you may have this summer. Happy cooking!