Easy Italian Sausage Pasta Salad
This easy Italian sausage pasta salad is packed with roasted veggies, cheese ravioli, and a tangy homemade dressing. It’s a flavorful, hearty cold pasta salad perfect for picnics, potlucks, or quick weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 3 Mild Italian Sausages
- 2 whole bell peppers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- ¼ cup stuffed green olives roughly chopped
- 1 large bag of cheese ravioli (21 oz or 600 grams) tortellini will also work just fine
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 400℉ and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil.
- Roast Sausages and Vegetables: Prepare the bell peppers by slicing length wise and removing the seeds and center, toss in 1 tsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper before arranging on the baking tray. Toss cherry tomatoes in remaining 1 tsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper and arrange on the same baking tray. Position sausages on the baking tray along side the bell peppers and tomatoes. Place pan in preheated oven and back for 20-25 minutes, turning everything over after 10 minutes.
- Prepare Dressing: While the sausages and vegetables are roasting, prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients into a mason jar or airtight container and giving it a good shake to dissolve the sugar.
- Cook Pasta: While the sausages and vegetables are roasting, place a large pot of water on high heat. Once the water reaches a boil generously salt the water. Don't skip this step, this ensures that the pasta is properly seasoned. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked fully drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl, toss with a small amount of the dressing to prevent the raviolis from sticking together.
- Finish Sausage and Vegetables: Once the sausages are fully cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice the sausage so it is a quarter inch thick, the slice the bell peppers horizontally about a quarter of an inch thick, finally slice each of the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Bring it all together: Add the sausage, bell pepper, tomatoes, and olives to the pasta bowl and add the remaining dressing giving everything a gentle toss to ensure it is well mixed and coated in the dressing. The pasta salad can be served immediately or can be left to chill before serving. Don't be rough with the pasta when stirring or tossing or the raviolis might come apart.