Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing

Ah, pasta salad…a must-have for a cookout on a beautiful day.  Since my friends are supplying the burgers and dogs, I have decided to try out a new recipe for pasta salad.  I found this one on http://www.allrecipes.com/.  What I like about this particular recipe is that you make the dressing.  I don’t want to cheat by simply pouring a bottle of Kraft Italian dressing into salad.  Don’t get me wrong, it is tasty, but I want to make mine from scratch.  I changed the veggies around a little, which is another thing I love about pasta salad.  You can change it depending on your preferences.  I love broccoli, carrots, celery, and tomatoes, so I added them.  I don’t really like the idea of putting olives in, so I left those out.  I got a little heavy handed on the veggies and the pasta was 12 ounces rather than 8, so I made second batch of the dressing which I will add before serving.  The recipe calls for letting the salad sit for 8 hours, but I only have about 2 before leaving for the cookout.  I hope the seasonings have a chance to give the salad a good flavor.  We shall see.  I also did not add the provolone, but I plan on taking Parmesan cheese for people to sprinkle if they want. 

 Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 8 Hours 45 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked tri-color
rotini pasta
6 ounces pepperoni sausage, diced
6 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 (6 ounce) can pitted black olives
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, pepperoni, provolone cheese, red onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olives, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
3. In a jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Seal jar, and shake well.
4. Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta salad, and toss to coat. Cover, and chill 8 hours in the refrigerator