This is my family's favorite summer salad! They always want me to double the recipe so there will be lots of leftovers. I use one each, green and red or yellow bell pepper and a wedge of fresh parmesan cheese, grated for each batch. I've tried it with a few salad dressings and the absolute best is Bernstein's Restaurant Style Italian. I'm serious when I say that no other salad dressing makes it taste as good. I've even tried the same brand but creamy italian and it just isn't the same. The trick to eliminating the dryness is to save about an inch or two of the bottled dressing and put it in just before serving. The pasta initially absorbs the dressing and it can get a little dry especially if made several hours in advance or the day before. That last bit of dressing added at the end is the perfect solution to that problem. Just made it for a Mothers Day barbeque and picnic and didn't get to bring any home, again! which is why I hid a bowl of it in the back frig for later.
I don't use "creamy salad dressing" so I just used a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream. To make it a little more hearty I threw in some halved cherry tomatoes and one large cucumber that I cut into fourths. This was yummy. This serves four not six. There was enough for my boys and I for dinner with a portion leftover for lunch tomorrow.
I love this pasta salad and every time I serve it I get loads of compliments.
This had a good flavor but we thought it needed a bit more crunch. Next time we're going to add a bit of chopped celery for added texture.
you can also turn the salami into crunchy little pieces very similar to bacon bits. place a single layer of salami slices onto a microwave safe dish nuke'em till theyre crisp. keep an eye on them tho every microwave is different. once the slices have gotten that crispy texture place them on a paper towel or something to absorb the oils. simply crumble over your pasta. sometimes i find scissors make crumbling a bit easier. if you want a spicey kick try HOT GENOA SALAMI. most grocery store deli's carry this variety.
This was a nice and cool salad to have on a hot summer day. It tasted great and served as a meal with just bread. I will be making this again. If my kids were a little older I think they would love it too.
I made this recipe for lunch for my Hubby (I don't eat red meat) and he loved it! I used a spicy salami that was peppered on the outside and he was in heaven!
Nice change from the standard summer salads. Has a nice "bite" due to the garlic in the dressing and in the salami. Really popular with the guys. I would cut the cheese down to 1/2 a cup add croutons and possibly some diced celery. This salad is best for in home parties as it should be kept chilled due to the salami and caesar dressing.
Good but a little dry the next day.
The salad dressing taste was a bit strong. I will make again using olive oil and herbs instead of dressing.
