Creamy Muffaletta Pasta Salad Recipe Is Dang Good (4 Ingredients, 15 Minutes) by Donna John

The muffaletta is one of my favorite sandwiches. The sandwich originated in Louisiana and is loaded with a delicious olive salad that adds so much flavor and twang. Another favorite of mine is pasta salad. What if I took the flavors of a muffaletta sandwich and put it into a pasta salad? Genius or disaster? I'm happy to report it was genius.

I decided to leave the meat out of the pasta salad and go vegetarian. I used a jar of spicy olive salad that I bought at the farmers market, mayonnaise, elbow macaroni and Swiss cheese. The cubes of Swiss cheese mingling with the al dente pasta, crunchy olive salad (check out the health benefits of olives) and creamy mayo was so good that I ate it for lunch, then dinner, then lunch again the next day.

Serve this creamy pasta salad as a side dish with dinner or grab a bowl for lunch. It's good hot or cold (I ate it both ways) and would probably get you noticed if you brought it to a cookout or potluck.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 to 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 6 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup olive salad
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup cubed Swiss cheese

Recipe Notes

• There are lots of ways to change up this pasta salad recipe. I added some fresh chopped green onions and red onions, but you could also add chopped deli meats like salami, ham, mortadella and capicola, and fresh herbs like parsley and chives. To make it even more sandwich-like, stir in some finely chopped lettuce and diced tomatoes.

• Because the olive salad is salty, I didn't add in extra salt.

• The flavored oil adds so much flavor to the pasta salad. You could also drizzle some over the top when serving.

• Cutting the Swiss cheese into cubes gives you a bigger bite of cheese flavor. But you could grate the cheese if you prefer. Not a fan of Swiss? Try mozzarella or provolone.
  

• Olive salad ingredients will differ from brand to brand. Black and green onions are combined with vegetables such as celery, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, onions, capers, herbs, pepperoncini, garlic, spices and olive oil.

• The pasta salad is great served immediately at room temperature or cold from the fridge.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Rinse it under cold water and return it to the pot.
   
2. Add all the ingredients and season well with black pepper. If adding in any extras, add them in now.
   
3. Stir to combine. Eat immediately or put into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
   
   

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