Keto Diet
Pizza Pasta Salad has all the flavors of a delicious pizza in a pasta salad. Mini pepperoni, olives, green bell pepper, cubes of cheese, tomato – all tossed in a vinaigrette in this easy pasta salad. Warm up the leftovers of this Pizza Pasta Salad with marinara sauce for another meal. I love Italian pasta salad recipes and this one is great!
PIZZA PASTA SALAD
Can we talk about man buns? Okay, not those buns. Hair buns. On girls they’re known as top knots or just buns, but whatever they’re called I’m just not a fan of them on guys.
I find them incredibly emasculating and unattractive.
They’ve taken over the Dolphin’s team, my local YMCA – I think it’s the mullet of this decade. There’s even a “manbunsofDisneyland” Instagram account dedicated solely to the things.
I’m a little jaded though. My husband loathes hair buns. Please tell me you’ve seen that King Of Queens episode where Carrie is obsessed with wearing her hair in a bun and Doug can’t stand it. We laugh so hard at that episode because it hits so close to home.
I spot the man buns so often that I’ve starting discreetly snapping pics of them when I can. Now, I have a whole collage of man buns on my phone. Every time I see one I’m equally appalled as if it was my first time seeing one. Guys….please stop.
What does this have to do with pizza pasta salad? Absolutely nothing. Here’s the line up of ingredients for this amazing Pizza Pasta Salad. I love these mini pepperonis. They’re so cute and perfectly sized. You can definitely use regular pepperonis quartered but they’re not nearly as fun.
I have a love/hate relationship with pasta salads. Every time I eat one I think about how much better it would be if it was warm. I’m weird. I like almost everything hot. This Pizza Pasta Salad however, I liked cold.
I’m not gonna lie though. My littles aren’t fans of pasta salad. So I heated up the leftovers with some marinara and they were thrilled. Two meals in one!I made a homemade vinaigrette but you can totally use bottled Italian dressing if you are in a pinch. You can use red onion instead of green onions if you like. Add a little red pepper for some heat!
HOW TO MAKE PASTA SALAD
- Cook pasta al dente in a large pot in heavily salted water according to package directions. Drain and cool.
- Toss all of the salad ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
- Prepare dressing by whisking all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Add the dressing to the pasta and toss to coat. Chill for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Stir well and top with grated Parmesan cheese right before serving.
OTHER PASTA SALAD RECIPES:
Yield: 6 servings
Pizza Pasta Salad has all the flavors of a delicious pizza in a pasta salad. Mini pepperonis, olives, green bell pepper, cubes of cheese, tomato – all tossed in a vinaigrette. Warm up the leftovers of this Pizza Pasta Salad with marinara sauce for another meal.
-
8
ounces
rotini pasta, cooked and drained -
1
(5 ounce)
package Hormel pepperoni minis
(or whole pepperonis quartered) -
4
ounces
provolone cheese
(or cheddar) cut into 1/4 cubes -
1
medium tomato, diced -
1
green bell pepper, seeded and diced -
1
(2.25 ounce) can
sliced ripe olives -
2
tablespoons
sliced green onions -
2
tablespoons
grated Parmesan
Dressing: (you can use 3/4 cup store bought Italian dressing as a shortcut)
-
1/3
cup
olive oil -
1/4
cup
red wine vinegar -
1
teaspoon
oregano -
1/2
teaspoon
garlic powder
(or fresh minced garlic) -
1/2
teaspoon
salt - pepper to taste
-
Cook pasta in heavily salted water according to package directions. Drain and cool. Toss all of the salad ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Prepare dressing by whisking all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Add the dressing to the pasta and toss to coat. Chill for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Stir well and top with grated Parmesan cheese right before serving.
Recipe adapted from the back of the Hormel pepperoni package.
Note: My little kids won’t eat pasta salad so I warmed up the leftovers with marinara and everyone loved it.
