This summer I’ve been craving cold pasta salads. And I’ve made a lot of different kinds. Making small changes here & there. I’ve made so many veggie pasta salads because I was trying to use a lot of those vegetables that were coming from our garden and what we were getting from friends. But after a while, nothing was really floating my boat, so to speak. I still wanted my pasta salad – but I needed something to get my tastebuds moving again. And then I saw this recipe over at Basilmomma. It looked incredibly easy to make (which I liked!) but it was a little something different. Something to change up the usual cold pasta salad routine. And I couldn’t believe I never thought of it before. It was incredibly tasty and there are a lot of possibilities with this one. You could certainly add more of your favorite veggies to it like green peppers and mushrooms. If you get your hands on some fresh mozzarella or if you like to make mozzarella yourself, I think it would taste amazing in this. Let me show you how quickly this whips up!
- 1 lb box of penne pasta
- 1 8 oz package whole pepperoni
- 1 8 oz package mozzarella cheese
- 1 16 oz bottle of your favorite Italian dressing
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese optional
- In a large stock pot of boiling water, cook your pasta until al dente (following the directions on the back or side of the box).
- When finished cooking, drain and rinse pasta with cool water.
- Let it drain well, then add to a large lidded bowl.
- Chop up all your mozzarella and pepperoni into 1-inch cubes.
- And slice the grape tomatoes in half (I usually cut them lengthwise).
- Add those to your cooled pasta
- Pour your bottle of Italian dressing on top (using as little or as much as you like).
- Give it all a good stir.
Next, if you are using, add shredded Parmesan Cheese and give it another good stir.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a fitted lid.
- Then pop the bowl in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
If you want to "up" the Italian flavor, you can always add additional Italian spices to this: 1 tsp. each of Oregano, Basil, Red Pepper flakes, Fennel Seed, Garlic Powder and Salt & Pepper (to taste).
Fantastic!! Thank you 🙂
Oh, that looks yummy! I made a pizza pasta salad – more like a casserole to be served warm. I LOVE this idea of a cold pizza pasta salad!
Cheers,
Tracy
What a perfect meal to make during the week! Thanks so much for sharing!!
What a great idea! This looks so delicious and full of flavour!
Yummy! I love pasta salads when it's hot outside!
I'm not even wild about pasta dishes, but this looks absolutely mouth-watering. NICE! Thanks for sharing this simple dish. I'm sure my hubs would/will LOVE it!
Looks so yummy, and packable for work lunches 🙂
Made this – so good! I added olives too 🙂
We have been making this pizza salad for years – love it! The idea is that anything you would put on a pizza would go well in here. We use all different colors/kinds of peppers, don't forget the mushrooms and olives and I never make this salad without red onions. Just a note….. if you plan to make this in advance the night before and maybe take it as a dish to pass at a picnic be sure to add the mushrooms the day of and as close to serving as possible – they turn dark brown and are fine however, they don't look to appealing 🙂 Yummy!
I wouldn't change a thing about this salad. It is sooooo good!
This really is quick, easy and delicious.
Yum.
Thank you for posting this recipe! It is so easy and makes perfect leftovers for lunches and dinners! I didn't use pepperoni, and I had to use pepperjack cheese because I couldn't find the mozzarella block at the store. It turned out great! This is my current favorite dish 🙂
Made this today and it is absolutely divine! Great by itself or as a side dish and it couldn't be any easier. So glad I found you on Pinterest!