Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

This pasta salad, dressed in a tasty herb and garlic vinaigrette, is made with what seems to be nearly every ingredient kept in a kitchen—but the kitchen sink!

Recipe Ingredients:

Herb-Garlic Vinaigrette:
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad:
4 ounces linguine
4 ounces farfalle (bow tie pasta)
4 ounces rotini
4 ounces wagon wheel or shell macaroni
1 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cups chopped green bell pepper (or red or yellow or combination)
1 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup fresh broccoli flowerets
1/2 cup fresh cauliflower flowerets
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 pound salami, cubed
1/4 pound cooked ham, cut into thin strips
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup chopped red onion
1 (2-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup toasted almond slivers
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Herb-Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

Cooking Directions:

1. For Herb-Garlic Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously; set aside. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
2. For Salad: Cook pastas according to package directions, preferably al dente (firm to the bite). Rinse with cold water; drain well.
3. Combine pastas and next 16 ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Pour half of Herb-Garlic Vinaigrette over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinaigrette.
4. To Serve: Pour remaining vinaigrette over pasta salad; toss gently. Top salad with chopped tomato and egg.

Makes 12 servings.