Cheers to Dirty Pasta Salad

That "One & Done" Dirty Martini Pasta Salad 🍸

Let’s be real for a second—one single, well-made Martini is usually enough to knock me right into a sitting position. I am strictly a "one and done" kind of girl! But on a scorching hot summer day? There is something undeniably amazing about those flavors.

If you know me, you know I love a good pasta salad. But because I absolutely do not do the whole mayonnaise thing, I usually have to skip about 90% of the side dishes at a summer BBQ.

That all changed not too long ago. My dear friend Chris presented this absolute masterpiece at a little get-together, and boy, was it DELISH-IOUS!! It’s a riff on a Delish classic, but she put her own little Chrissy spin on it.

If you want a pasta salad that will actually make you say cheers, give this little gem a try and let me know what you think!

The Ingredients

Here is what you’ll need to whip up this crowd-pleaser. (No mayo in sight, I promise!)

• 8 oz. Pasta: Farfalle (bowtie) 
• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives: Coarsely chopped or crushed with your knife, plus 1/4 cup of the olive brine saved for the dressing.
• 3 Tbsp. Dry Vermouth: For that authentic martini kick!
• 1 large Lemon: Both zested and juiced.
• 1 large Garlic clove: Grated finely.
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard: 
• 1/2 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup Fresh Parmesan: Finely grated.
• 3/4 cup Fresh Parsley: Coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup Blue cheese crumbles: (Optional, but highly recommended if you love a blue-cheese stuffed olive!)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

directions:

Marinate the olives

First things first, crush your olives with the flat side of your knife or give them a coarse chop. Pop them into a medium bowl, pour over the dry vermouth, and let them marinate while you get everything else ready. Stir them now and then.

Cook the Pasta

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop your pasta and cook until it is perfectly al dente according to the package directions. Drain it well, then return it to the pot to cool slightly.

Shake Up the Dressing

In your large serving bowl, whisk together the reserved olive brine, grated garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, and $1/4 tsp. pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly until the dressing is smooth and blended. Stir in that beautiful Parmesan cheese.

Toss and Serve!

Add your cooked pasta, the marinated olives (pour in that vermouth too!), and the fresh parsley right into the dressing bowl. Toss it all together until every single noodle is beautifully coated. Give it a taste, add a pinch more salt and pepper if you think it needs it, and then gently fold in the crumbled blue cheese if you're using it.

Heidi’s Tip: This salad is fantastic served at room temperature, but if you let it chill in the fridge for an hour before the BBQ, the flavors marry together beautifully. Just give it a good toss before serving!

Cheers to no-mayo summers! 🥂Gotta a summertime favorite recipe that you think we'd love - Submit below!