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Pizza Pasta Salad

Pizza salad that turns rotini into a party-ready mix of pepperoni, melted-style mozzarella cubes, olives, peppers, and Italian dressing. Chilled and tossed twice for bold, pizza-inspired flavor in every forkful.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pizza Pasta Salad
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 2 cup pepperoni slices, halved
  • 2 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 0.5 cup black olives, sliced
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 cup Italian dressing
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool it quickly.
Mix the pizza salad
  1. Combine the pasta, pepperoni slices, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, black olives, and red onion in a large bowl.
  2. Add the Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
  3. Toss everything together until the pasta and toppings are evenly coated with the dressing.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld.
  2. Toss again right before serving, then serve chilled.

Notes

For clean, even distribution, toss once while the pasta is slightly warm, then chill uncovered for the first hour before covering. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; freeze is not recommended because the mozzarella texture can become watery. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free rotini and keep the rest of the method the same.