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Grinder Pasta Salad

Grinder pasta salad is a hoagie-style mix of rotini, Italian meats, provolone, and banana peppers tossed in Italian dressing. Chilled for hours, it sets up like a deli sub salad with visible layers and crisp bite.
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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: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta base and vegetables
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 8 oz salami
  • 8 oz ham
  • 8 oz turkey
  • 8 oz provolone cheese
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup banana peppers
  • 0.5 cup red onion
Lettuce and dressing
  • 2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1 cup Italian dressing
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.25 salt to taste
  • 0.25 pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 large mixing bowl

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. This prevents clumping and helps the salad stay springy.
  2. Spread the rinsed pasta on a sheet pan in an even layer and let cool completely at room temperature for 10 minutes. The pasta should look dry and separate rather than steamy.
Build the salad (before chilling)
  1. Combine pasta, salami, ham, turkey, provolone cheese, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and red onion in a large bowl. Toss gently so the meats and cheese are evenly distributed.
  2. Mix Italian dressing with red wine vinegar and Italian seasoning in a bowl until the seasoning is dispersed. The dressing should look evenly speckled.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Make sure the pasta is well slicked so it flavors as it chills.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, covered. It will look slightly more cohesive as the dressing absorbs.
Finish and serve
  1. Just before serving, add shredded iceberg lettuce and toss again to combine. The lettuce should remain crisp, not wilted.

Notes

Pro tip: Rinse the pasta well and cool it before mixing so the Italian meats and provolone don’t melt or get greasy. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; add fresh lettuce only when serving again for best crunch. Freezing is not recommended because lettuce and cheese texture will degrade. For a lighter option, use low-fat provolone or turkey-bacon-style deli turkey in place of some meat.