Delicioso Antipasto Pasta Salad

Description: This is a recipe I devised when I had a craving for an antipasto salad, but wanted a different spin on the dressing. Oh man, did I love the result. I served it during an outdoor bbq and it went over big! It's a simple salad with a big flavor. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb penne rigate
• 3/4 lb thick-sliced salami, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, cubed (Or, I like and use the bag of crumbled mozzarella)
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes or 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmans here)
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce (I prefer Classico here)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

1. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions - drain.
2. Combine pesto and mayo, salt and pepper.
3. Add the mayo mixture to the warm pasta.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, toss well.
5. *I prefer serving this at room temperature (don't leave it out too long though, because of the mayo!) It's also good straight from the refrigerator.