How to Make Italian Pasta Salad (The Way You Actually Want to Eat It)

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. Sun poking through the kitchen window. The radio hummed something old. I needed something easy. Quick. Cold. Pasta salad. But not the sad kind you see sweating at the corner of buffet tables. No. A proper Italian Pasta Salad. One that sings.

First things first. Ingredients. Grab these. Trust me, don’t skip.

• 3 cups cooked rotini pasta (the twisty ones, they hold magic)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved. Sweet ones, not sour.
• 1 cucumber, diced small
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced thin. Or whole, if you like surprise bites.
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped. Sharp but worth it.
• 1 cup mozzarella pearls. Or just cube the block. Nobody cares.
• 1/4 cup sliced pepperoni or salami (optional... but why skip flavor?)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn by hand. Don’t chop. Tear. Like life.
• 1/3 cup Italian dressing (bottled is fine... but homemade? even better)
• Salt and black pepper, as you like.

That’s it. The crew. The band.

Now. The magic part. The mixing.

Boil your rotini until they’re just right—not mushy, not hard. Al dente they call it in the old country. Like biting into a memory. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Important. Don’t skip. Keeps things fresh. Not soggy.

Grab a big bowl. Like, big big. Dump the pasta in. Then the tomatoes. Then the cucumber. Then the onions. Then the olives. Then—yes—the mozzarella. Don’t forget the basil. Never forget the basil. Toss gently. Like folding a secret.

Add the pepperoni if you feel bold. I usually do. Life’s short. Toss again.

Pour the dressing over. All of it. Let it rain. Toss one more time. Taste. Maybe a pinch of salt. Maybe more pepper. Up to you. You’re the boss here.

Let it sit in the fridge. 30 minutes. Maybe an hour. The flavors need to talk. Marry. Whisper secrets. Trust the process.

When you finally eat it—cold, sharp, fresh—it tastes like summer. Like weekends. Like Italy... even if you're just in your kitchen in old sweatpants.

And that’s it. Italian Pasta Salad. Not complicated. No rules. Just real food.

Eat. Smile. Maybe pour some wine.

You earned it.