Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Boil your pasta in generously salted water, cooking according to package instructions. Once fully cooked, drain and set aside to cool. If you wany to speed up the cooling process, spread the pasta over a half sheet pan to cool.
1 lb medium shells
Prep your dressing. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together Ken's Zesty Italian dressing with balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and sugar.
¾ cup Ken's Zesty Italian Dressing, 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp white granulated sugar
Gather, slice, dice, and chop all of your mix-ins for the pasta salad.
See my ingredient notes in the post above for more on my favorite add-ins and how I prep them.
1 cup sliced cucumbers, 1 cup mozzarella pearls, ⅔ cup diced roasted red peppers, ½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes, ½ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini, ½ cup small cubed smoked gouda, ½ cup pickled red peppers, ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onion, ¼ cup quartered artichoke hearts, ¼ cup small diced pickled banana peppers
Assemble the salad. Stir together the cooled pasta and all of the add-ins in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle on the dressing and toss until everything is well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh basil right before serving.
¼ tsp salt, Fresh basil, 1 pinch finely ground black pepper
Serve this pasta salad right away or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.