This has been my signature pasta salad, gosh... for almost a decade. It was one of the first dishes I sort of winged & made that came out consistently and everyone loved it. It has a few variations, but either way-- you're going to end up with a great pasta salad.
Pasta- right now I'm using rotini, but the original version used cheese tortellini- I have also used penne, choose your favorite & use it.
Fresh mozzarella (the original used pre-marinaded mozzarella balls, now I just use the regular fresh & cut it up)
Marinated artichoke hearts (get Italian & get it out of a jar, not can)
Red Roasted Peppers (also out of a jar) but today I just chopped up some fresh red bell peppers
(I have also used all different colored peppers, celery, different veggies)
Today I have shredded carrots
Tomatoes- you can use any kind you'd like, just cut them so the juices sort of blend in with everything else...
Balsamic Vinegar
If you DO NOT use marinated artichokes, peppers or mozzarella THEN use extra virgin olive oil.
Garlic
Oregano
Today it's fresh basil & cilantro (cilantro was NOT a part of the original recipe, but my husband & I like it... cilantro is totally optional)
Salt & Pepper
Now- I am NOT putting any kind of meat in it BUT I have used hard Italian sausage pieces or (our usual favorite- pre-cooked chicken breasts)
I am usually pretty heavy handed with the balsamic as I like the taste especially when it soaks into the mozzarella BUT all the spices should be blended ALL TOGETHER to taste. I frequently eye ball my spices mix everything, taste it and then adjust my spices until I'm happy.
This is a cold dish so pop it into the fridge when you're done. You can leave this over night and it will keep the next day. Often I make a large batch and we'll have pasta salad for dinner and leftovers the day after. It is a very hearty, complete sort of pasta salad so it could be substituted for a meal.
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