Guys, I’ve been meaning to share this recipe with you all for weeks!
Somehow it got buried in my camera’s memory card, and I totally forgot about it until I was craving pizza again the other day. (Well, let’s be honest, when am I not craving pizza.) And I suddenly remembered everything about this delicious pasta salad that my friend, Rachel, and I whipped up last month.
It came about when I was cleaning out the fridge and trying to decide how to use the leftover ingredients from those Pizza Spaghetti Squash Boats I shared with you. I was fresh out of spaghetti squash. But goodness knows I’m a pasta hoarder, and always seem to have at least ten pounds of various pastas on hand. So Rachel and I decided to cook up some bow-ties and toss together this pizza-inspired pasta salad.
This one is made with all of my favorite classic pizza toppings (including double-pepperoni, holla!), but of course, it’s totally easy to customize with all of your favorite toppings. And it’s perfect for those end-of-summer picnics or back-to-school potlucks this time of year. And, since it’s still blazing hot, it’s another great meal you can make without turning on that oven.
Win-win-win.
Let’s make some!
As I said, the ingredients in this one are really up to you.
Start with a base of some freshly-cooked pasta (which you just rinse immediately afterwards with cold water to cool it down), lots of mozzarella cheese (the fresher, the better), and a good helping of diced tomatoes (you can use canned organic fire-roasted tomatoes, if you’d like to save some chopping). Then add in your favorite pizza toppings! I used lots of pepperoni, green peppers, red onions, and a few olives.
Whip up a simple Italian vinaigrette and drizzle it on.
Give everything a good toss.
And then this gorgeous salad will be yours to enjoy. It’s the perfect way to satisfy that pizza craving, and I can also vouch that it’ll be a hit if you bring it along to a potluck. Because let’s be real, who can resist pepperoni?! Not I, said the Hen. ;)
If you need more pasta salad inspiration, be sure to check out these other recipes too:
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- 5-Ingredient Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Rainbow Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Asparagus & Arugula Pasta Salad
Happy pasta salad-ing!
Pizza Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pizza Pasta Salad Ingredients:
- 1 pound uncooked pasta (I used farfalle)
- 8 ounces mozzarella, diced
- 1 cup diced roma tomatoes
- 4-6 cups chopped pizza toppings (I used pepperoni, black olives, and sliced red onions)
- 1 batch Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette (see below)
- optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes
Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed (or minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
To Make The Pizza Pasta Salad:
- Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot. Drain completely.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, mozzarella, tomatoes, and pizza toppings. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top, then toss to combine. Garnish with your desired toppings.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To Make The Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette:
- Whisk all ingredients together until combined
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Made this for a funeral luncheon and it was good. I liked the options to add whatever “pizza toppings” you like. I added a few banana peppers, in addition to what recipe suggested. I think little pieces of cubed ham would be good too.
My sister-in-law made your family’s favorite salad at Thanksgiving. She gave me your website so I could make that salad for Christmas. In the meantime, I found this salad and made it yesterday. Wow! Is it good. Can’t wait to have both salad tonight with dinner.
Thanks for this recipe, Ali! We’ve taken your inspiration and customized this with our family’s favorite toppings: Italian sausage, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and crushed red pepper. We love it!
Awesome, sounds delicious!
This pasta salad looks gorgeous and so delicious! I’d love to make this using a gluten free pasta!
Awesome Lindsay — we hope you love it! :)
That looks amazing! I’ve never thought about mixing pizza and pasta together like this before. It was usually just an ACTUAL pizza, with a big bowl of pasta carbonara. That glutton life, haha. Excellent post, as usual!
Awesome, thank you so much, Britt!
YUM! My grandma makes something similar to this, but she’s never written down the recipe. I can’t wait to make this. Thanks!
Kiersten
That’s so cool, Kiersten! We hope you get a chance to make it soon and that you enjoy it! :)
Can I just say that I love you and all of your recipes! I didn’t even make this one yet but I know I’m going to love it. I just opened your email and I thought “I love this girl. She totally gets it.” Thank you for being so amazing! As a single girl in her 20s who also loves to cook, you are so inspiring and relatable in all of your blog posts. Have a great Wednesday :)
Thanks for your sweet words, Melanie! We’re so glad you enjoy the blog! :D
OMG! This is the dream! I’m always thinking about pizza too lol
We hope you get a chance to try this soon, Jamie! :)
This is brilliant! Can’t wait to try it!! Thanks :)