PREPARATION:

To make the salad:

1. Cook the rotini pasta until it reaches the “al dente” stage, following the directions on the box. Drain, then rinse with ice water to bring down the temperature.

2 Place the cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, black olives, pepperoni pieces, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

To prepare the dressing:

1 In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, chopped garlic, and salt & and pepper to taste by whisking all of the ingredients together.

2: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad, then mix it around with your hands until all of the components are evenly covered.