Cherry Kale Salami Ditalini Pasta Salad
I love a good pasta salad. It’s pretty much my go to all summer long for an easy and satisfying side dish. I don’t mess with those over-mayoed versions though. They are fun for when you are out at a BBQ restaurant or at your aunt’s house for the 4th of July, but when I am making a pasta salad I like to get more creative. This version has cherries and kale, one sweet and one bitter, to play off of each other and create a great overall flavor for the dish.
Pitting cherries can be annoying but you don’t have to do a ton, just smash them with the flat of the knife first and then pull out the pit. Roughly chop after all the pits are gone.
Add the cherries in with a bunch of kale, salami, mustard, and a little mayo. Then add some olive oil and lemon juice.
A well balanced pasta salad that is light and refreshing with a little juicy sweet pop from the cherries and that bitter bite we all love from kale.
The salami in this dish adds a much needed depth of flavor and pairs well with the mustard. I wasn’t sure if I would use mayo, but just adding a little bit really adds a nice creaminess to the whole salad.
This is the kind of thing that I can really shovel into my mouth! And it went great with the wings I posted Monday.
Cherry Kale Salami Ditalini Pasta Salad
Cherries, kale, and salami combine in this unique and light pasta salad that is the perfect side for any summer BBQ.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 pound ditalini pasta
- 1 bunch purple kale
- 2 cups cherries
- 3 ounces salami
- 1/4 cup banana peppers chopped
- 1/4 cup juice from banana pepper jar
- 1/4 cup mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- salt crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Bring the pasta water to a boil and drop the pasta.
- Pit the cherries and chop them
- Remove the kale from the stems and chop small. Add the kale to a bowl and massage with your fingers for 3 minutes until tender and wilted.
- Chop the salami. Add the salami and cherries to the bowl with the kale along with everything else.
- Strain the pasta and add it immediately to the bowl with all the rest of the ingredients. Stir well to combine. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.