Easy Fresh Tomato Pasta Salad with Cheese and Herbs
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 box Farfalle pasta bowtie form pasta
- 2 - 11 oz. containers of San Marzano cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup olive oil
- 5 - 6 large cloves of fresh garlic minced
- 2 cups of fresh basil chopped
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 8 oz. freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
- 2 packages of little balls of soft creamy Mozzarella cheese (Bocconchini)
- 8 oz. pepperoni or Genoa salami fried and diced
- 4 oz. prosciutto fried and diced
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- 10 large green banana peppers pepperoncini, chopped
- 1 small red onion sliced very thin and then cut each slice in half
- ½ cup drained and sliced black olives
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- GARNISH: Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese to sprinkle on top of salad 1 - 2 cups, enough for guests to help themselves to the cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- When cooked to the 'al dente' texture (about 6 minutes), remove the pot of water and the pasta. Take it to the sink and drain it very well.
- Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and toss with 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, the minced garlic cloves, a pinch of red pepper flakes, pinch of Italian seasonings, a pinch of salt and pepper each Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours or overnight.
- While the pasta is boiling, crisp the prosciutto and pepperoni/genoa salami. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat then add the prosciutto and pepperoni/salami in a single layer. Let them fry until they become nice and crisp; then turn them over and fry for another minute. Remove the prosciutto and pepperoni/salami from the pan and crumble it a little into a bowl.
- After the marinade process is complete, add the pasta and gently mix together. Then add the bocconcini, bell peppers, red onion, parsley, banana peppers, crispy proscuitto and pepperoni/salami, and parmesan cheese to the bowl with the pasta. Gently mix.
- TASTE! Add the red wine vinegar at this point if you want. Gently toss to coat again.
- Taste again: Add salt and pepper to your preferences!
- BUON APPETITO!