Zesty Pepperoni Pasta Salad

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A vibrant photo of a white serving bowl with zesty pepperoni pasta salad. You can see green onion, fresh basil leaves, pepperoni, vibrant banana peppers, black and green olives and grape tomato halves all glistening in Italian seasonings and dressing. Bright and colorful with summer sparkly aqua glasses in the background.

Zesty Pepperoni Pasta Salad is a fresh, easy cold pasta salad perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and summer grilling. Tossed with pepperoni, crisp vegetables, cheese, and a simple red vinegar and lemon dressing, it’s bright, flavorful, and best served the same day.

Customize it with extra vegetables, fresh herbs, different cheeses, or your favorite pasta shape, and store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, stirring gently before serving.

Zesty Pepperoni Pasta Salad

Course

Side Dish

Prep Time

30 min.

Cook/bake time

10-15 min.

Servings

12+

Here's What You'll Need

A large stock pot and strainer
A mixing bowl
Small bowl and whisk for the dressing
A serving bowl

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. dry pasta
1/3 cup green onions – chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes – halved
1 cup diced cucumber
A handful of fresh basil leaves (optional but does add nice flavor)
1/3 cup banana peppers (or pepperoncini) – chopped
1/2 cup green pimento stuffed olives – halved
1/2 cup black olives – halved
1/2 cup pepperoni – quartered (or you can use mini pepperoni slices)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup of mozzarella pearls cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing: 3/4 cup light virgin olive oil, 1 lemon squeezed, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground basil, 1 teaspoon ground oregano , 1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions

Colorful overhead photo of all the fresh ingredients in bowls on a marble counter. In the left top corner is a large bowl of Fusilini pasta cooked al dente. In the bottom right is a bowl with a small whisk containing italian dressing to toss the pepperoni pasta salad in. There are also several smaller bowls that show all of the fresh ingredients measured out for this side dish like fresh basil, diced cucumbers, halved olives, pepperoni, cheeses, banana peppers and a bowl of halved grape tomatoes.
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, mix the dressing ingredients, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, basil and garlic powder in a small bowl.
3. Chop the cucumbers, banana peppers and green onions. Halve the olives and cherry tomatoes. Cut pepperoni in fours.
Photo of all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and a side bowl with a whisk containing the dressing to toss pepperoni pasta salad.
4. Add the pasta and all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss with dressing.
5. Let it set up in the refrigerator for an hour or two to infuse the flavors before serving.
A vibrant photo of a white serving bowl with zesty pepperoni pasta salad. You can see green onion, fresh basil leaves, pepperoni, vibrant banana peppers, black and green olives and grape tomato halves all glistening in Italian seasonings and dressing. Bright and colorful with summer sparkly aqua glasses in the background.

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