Monday, May 19, 2014

The Best Italian Pasta Salad Ever!

M is for Monday - which today is. M is also for Mmmmmmmmmmmmm - which is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this recipe. For Mother's Day last week, I was in charge of bringing a side dish. I immediately knew I needed (yes - needed) to make a pasta salad. But not just any ol' pasta salad- the best italian pasta salad EVER! 

This pasta salad is more than just pasta & italian dressing - the secret is caesar dressing added in, too. It makes it creamy and light and ooooooh just amazing. It is also soooooo easy to make (especially if you get a cute boy that is conveniently married to you to chop your veggies). You basically just cook the pasta, mix in all the other ingredients and chill. That's it!


The next reason this is the BEST pasta salad EVER?! Because you can EASILY make it gluten free and dairy free! I have family that can't eat gluten and I can't shouldn't eat dairy, so I whipped up 2 batches of this pasta salad - one regular and one gluten free & dairy free. Both were A-MA-ZING. You can easily substitute other veggies {try red onion!}, or eliminate the salami to make it vegetarian.  It's like a blank canvas of deliciousness just waiting for YOU to put your own twist on it. ENJOY!
recipe adapted from All Recipes
TIPS:

* Most salad dressings are 16oz bottles - so just pour about 1/2 of each bottle in (but it's so good, you'll want to double it and use it all!)*

 *Use less veggies & meat, if you want, it's all up to YOU and how much YOU want in it!*

 *Get salami sliced fresh from your local deli. Ask them to slice it in the thickest setting (I got mine from Walmart and had them slice it at a "5"). That way, it's in thick chunks, instead of sandwich-thin slices.*

 This would be a fab addition to an upcoming Memorial Day party or, now that the sun is out, a barbecue! Mmmmmmmm - now I want some....

 xo


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12 comments:

  1. AmberlyMay 19, 2014 at 10:05 AM

    Yum!!! I may need to make this! :)

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  2. Emily BMay 20, 2014 at 7:48 AM

    This sounds so good. I make an almost similar recipe but use italian dressing. I have never tried caesar but it sounds amazing. I will have to give this a try next time

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  3. Pamela M.May 21, 2014 at 3:03 PM

    YUM!! looks so good, mama!! I'm pinning this for the future! thanks for sharing it with us! :)

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  4. MyfamilymealtimeMay 21, 2014 at 5:31 PM

    I get my salami cut that way all of the time! Great easy pasta recipe!

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  5. Daniela WalshMay 21, 2014 at 10:05 PM

    You so need to! Your cute puppy will want that salami, too :) xo

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  6. Daniela WalshMay 21, 2014 at 10:05 PM

    Totally! Most italian pasta salads just have italian dressing, but I just LOVE the addition of the caesar dressing. It adds a new kick to it and makes it completely addicting. Take care! xo

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  7. Daniela WalshMay 21, 2014 at 10:06 PM

    Thanks for the invite! I linked up. Yay for a new link party! xo

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  8. Daniela WalshMay 21, 2014 at 10:06 PM

    Thanks for pinning, Pamela! I warn you - once you start eating it, you can't stop, ha ha. I finished off the leftovers the same night and am going to make more this weekend!! xo

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  9. Daniela WalshMay 21, 2014 at 10:07 PM

    I've only ever had salami cut sandwich thin, but I figured it would be yummier cut thicker for the pasta salad. I'm totally going to get it cut this thick all the time - it is SO much better. Thanks for stopping by! xo

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  10. Kristy GDMay 24, 2014 at 6:43 AM

    Oh, yum! I'm always a fan of a good pasta salad, and this sounds like a delicous new twist to try! Thanks for linking up with Creative Spark!!

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  11. Marissa @ Life is FantasmicMay 24, 2014 at 6:53 AM

    YUM!!! I’d love for you to share this at my Saturday Dishes Link Party this weekend! It’s a themed link up & this week’s theme is Memorial Day & Grilling! This would be a yummy side dish! Feel free to share other old or new posts that fit the theme as well if you have them! (:

    http://lifeisfantasmic.blogspot.com/2014/05/saturday-dishes-memorial-day-grilling.html

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  12. April @ 100lbcountdownMay 25, 2014 at 7:25 AM

    I'll definitely have to try this without the pasta! LOL! I'm not a big fan of pasta dishes, but I can add some pepperoni and chicken! Thanks for linking up for Turn it Up Tuesday!

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Thanks for the chat!