This olive pasta salad recipe is a crowd-pleaser! Briney olives, al dente pasta, loads of summer veggies, and zesty Italian dressing come together in a simple, delicious side dish.
8ouncespastacooked, rinsed, and cooled short pasta like rigatoni, penne, or ziti
6bacon slicescooked, drained, and diced
2ouncescrumbled blue cheese
1ouncefresh dillstemmed and finely chopped
kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Shuck the corn and cook over open flame or on a grill until charred on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside, then, when cool, cut the kernels off the cob.
In a large bowl, combine all the cooked and cooled pasta with two-thirds of the dressing, the tomatoes, olives, and corn. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. You can serve it immediately, but it's better when it has rested for at least 1 hour (and up to 6) before serving.
Serve it as a cold pasta salad or at room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining dressing and the bacon, cheese, and herbs, stir to combine (get all the way to the bottom of the bowl so it's well combined), and add more salt or pepper as desired. (The pasta salad can be made up to 2 days ahead, but we suggest you wait to add the herbs and pancetta before serving!)