Pepperoni Pizza Pasta salad is a quick and easy pasta salad that packs a lot of flavor. Pasta, pepperoni, mozzarella and Italian dressing!
AN EASY, FUN PASTA SALAD RECIPE
This summer I've been craving cold pasta salads but I haven't wanted the same ole salads. Something to change up the usual cold pasta salad routine. This pepperoni pizza pasta salad was incredibly tasty, easy to make and there are a lot of possibilities with this one!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Absolutely! Just use whatever you think would work with the pizza flavors. Bell peppers (green red or yellow), sliced olives and red onions would work nicely in this!
Just use your favorite bottled dressing. You want one with a good punch of flavor. You could even make your own homemade Italian dressing!
Absolutely! You can use any pasta shape that you want. Just make sure it is 16 ounces (1 pound). Penne, rotini, bow tie, shell or even spaghetti work well with this.
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad needs to be covered and kept stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- penne pasta
- pepperoni
- mozzarella cheese
- Italian dressing
- grape tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
Note: You can usually find these sticks of pepperoni near the bags of sliced pepperoni. If not, you can get a ½ pound block of pepperoni from the deli counter at your grocery store.
HOW TO MAKE PEPPERONI PIZZA PASTA SALAD:
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 of the mozzarella and pepperoni into 1-inch cubes. And slice the grape tomatoes in half (I usually cut them lengthwise).
Add those to the cooled pasta.
Pour the Italian dressing on top. You don't have to use the whole bottle. This all comes down to taste. Give it all a good stir.
Next, if you are using, add your shredded Parmesan Cheese and give it another good stir.
Cover with plastic wrap or a fitted lid.
Then pop it into the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours. And serve!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: August 2012
Updated & republished: May 2019
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounce) box penne pasta
- 8 ounce package whole pepperoni
- 8 ounce package mozzarella cheese
- 16 ounce bottle of your favorite Italian dressing
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a large stock pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente (following the package directions).
- When finished cooking, drain and rinse pasta with cool water. Let it drain well, then add to a large bowl.
- Chop up all the mozzarella and pepperoni into 1-inch cubes. Add to cooled pasta in the bowl.
- Slice the grape tomatoes in half (I usually cut them lengthwise) and add to the bowl.
- Pour the Italian dressing on top (using as little or as much as you like). Give it all a good stir.
- Finally add shredded Parmesan Cheese and give it another good stir.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a fitted lid. Then pop the bowl into the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
- If you want to "up" the Italian flavor, you can always add additional Italian spices to this: ½ teaspoon each of dried Oregano, Basil, Red Pepper flakes, Fennel Seed, Garlic Powder and Salt and Pepper (to taste).
- Don't skip the last step. The flavors really set up as it hangs out for a couple of hours in the fridge. It makes all the difference!
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Vicky Jones
I have made this for years for my lunches because I did not want to do bread. You can take any fast food and take the bread away and sub it with veggie noddles and such, and just chop ingredients and mix as a salad, ground hamburger, cheddar cheese chunks, with noodles and your choice of dressing works well as well, tuna, celery, etc it is endless lunch ideas.
Janine
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!
Kate
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 🙂
Debra Kapellakis
Yum.
Anita
This really is quick, easy and delicious.
Candace
I wouldn't change a thing about this salad. It is sooooo good!
~Dawn~
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!
Jen
Made this - so good! I added olives too 🙂
Heather
Looks so yummy, and packable for work lunches 🙂
Marsha
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!
Kate H.(www.sprinkletherapy.blogspot.com)
Yummy! I love pasta salads when it's hot outside!
Ellen B Cookery
What a great idea! This looks so delicious and full of flavour!
Ruth Huggins
What a perfect meal to make during the week! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Tracy | Screaming Sardine
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
Basilmomma Heather Tallman
Fantastic!! Thank you 🙂