Easy Italian Butterfly Salad
Easy Italian Butterfly Salad, made with fresh ingredients, including tomatoes, mozzarella, herbs and a delicious Homemade Italian Salad Dressing. The perfect Summertime Lunch or Dinner idea.
Easy Italian Butterfly Salad
I hope after the long cold winter a lot of you have had, spring has finally sprung. And what does that mean? BBQs and of course Pasta Salad.
This month for my little get together with my four blogger friends we decided to create a Mother’s Day Brunch menu. So if you are planning a buffet style brunch or even a BBQ, this simple Easy Italian Pasta Salad is the perfect addition.
I make this Pasta recipe quite often in the summer, it’s fast and easy and the best way to keep your cool in the Summer.
How to Cook Pasta
- In a large pot add water and bring to a boil.
- Add a little salt and the pasta.
- Make sure that you keep the water at a full boil.
- Stir occasionally.
- Cook pasta al dente. Check the package for cooking time and taste to make sure it is cooked to perfection.
- Drain but do not rinse the pasta, except when making a cold pasta salad because you will want to cool down the pasta before adding it to the other ingredients.
What is the best Pasta to use?
For pasta salads I prefer to use a mini pasta, such as butterfly (farfalle), wheels (rotelle) or even ditalli.
How to make a Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta al dente in boiling salted water
- In a separate bowl mx together the tuna, corn, mozzarella balls, grape or cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
- In a separate container mix together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Add the drained cooled pasta to the bowl and drizzle the dressing on top.
- Gently combine and serve.
More Summer Pasta Recipes you may enjoy!
So whenever the hot weather hits or you are just looking for a quick and easy pasta recipe I hope you give this Easy Italian Pasta Salad a try. Buon Appetito!
Easy Italian Butterfly Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- 3 cups pasta (cooked) (small past / I used bow tie pasta)
- 2 cans tuna drained (6 ounces / 170 grams)
- 1 can sweet corn drained (6 ounces / 150 grams)
- 15 small mozzarella balls (cut in half)
- 20-25 grape or cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- 5 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon basil (chopped)
- dash pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the pasta al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. (Only rinse pasta in cold water if making a cold pasta salad)
FOR THE DRESSING
- In a small bowl combine the olive oil, balsamic, oregano, salt, basil and dash of pepper. Stir or whisk to combine.
FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- In a large bowl add the tuna, corn, mozzarella balls, tomatoes and fresh chopped basil, then add the cooked drained pasta and mix, then drizzle the dressing on top and gently combine. Can be served immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate approximately 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
THE TASTE CREATIONS BLOG HOP HAPPENS ON THE 1ST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH. EVERY MONTH, MYSELF AND 3-4 OTHER BLOGGERS CHALLENGE OURSELVES TO MAKE SOMETHING WITH A CHOSEN INGREDIENT. HOPE YOU WILL CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES TOO. AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!
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Your pasta dish looks like a lovely summer meal! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lauren, thanks so much and easy too.
This is a gorgeous pasta salad! I love the ingredients!
Hi Teri, thanks so much.
Im goingvtontry this here in Philippines hoping costumers will like it!
Hi Ernesto thanks I hope they do too.
This sound really good.
I want to know if I could replace the Tuna by something else because my mother is allergic to fish..
Hi Emilie thanks, I think a good substitute would be chicken. Hope that helps, let me know how it goes.
Ooh, I like the addition of the sweet corn with the other salty elements. What a perfect summery dish!
Hi Nikki, thanks it is really tasty. 🙂