This Creamy (NO MAYO) Pasta Salad is my all time favorite and is perfect for the 4th of July. Or your next cookout. The flavors are incredible here and I love the creaminess of the dressing without using mayo.
I achieve the creaminess by combining pesto and ricotta along with other ingredients that truly makes this dressing special.
This salad is a great make ahead recipe. So if you are having a big party you can make this the day before. LOVE THAT!!
For this recipe you can use whatever pasta shape you like. I used the Bionaturae chiocciole shaped pasta. Fun fact, “Chiocciole” is the Italian word for snails. This pasta shape is so cute it resembles a
Creamy (No Mayo) Pasta Salad
Ingredients
(Serves 10)
1 lb. Pasta
1 ½ Cups Salami, cut into small cubes
½ Cup Artichokes, I use canned in water. Drain and cut in quarters
1 Cup Chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried
1 ½ Cups Mozzarella Pearls, drained and dried
¾ Cup Toasted Pignoli Nuts
1 ½ Cup Frozen Corn Kernels, defrosted and drained well
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
½ Cup Kalamata Olives, drained and sliced
½ Cup Pepperoncini Peppers, drained well, seeded and diced
1 Cup Baby Arugula
3 tbsp. Fresh Basil Chopped
Dressing
3 tbsp. Pesto, I use homemade but you can use store bought
½ Cup Ricotta
¼ tsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
⅓ Cup Grated Pecorino
¾ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
Method
Boil the pasta. Drain well and cool.
In a small frying pan on low heat toast the pignoli nuts until golden brown and cool.
While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing. In a blender, combine pesto with ricotta, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Pecorino, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice.
Blend well.
Next, in a large bowl put the cooked pasta, salami, artichokes, chickpeas, mozzarella pearls, pignoli nuts, corn, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, arugula and fresh basil.
Add in the dressing. Mix well and serve.