Ingredients:

  • 16 oz tri-color rotini pasta
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 6 oz pepperoni, diced small
  • 8 oz mini mozzarella pearls
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp honey

Instructions:

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the rotini and cook for 8–10 minutes (or 2 minutes less than the package 'al dente' instruction). Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch.
  2. Dice the pepperoni, red bell peppers, and red onions into uniform, small pieces. Combine the cooled pasta, pepperoni, mozzarella pearls, diced peppers, onion, and sliced olives in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a small whisk or mason jar, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and honey. Whisk until emulsified.
  4. Pour half of the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss well to coat.
  5. Cover and refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to infuse and the pasta to absorb the dressing.
  6. Just before serving, pour in the remaining half of the dressing and fold in the chopped fresh Italian parsley.