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Pizza Pasta Salad

Pizza pasta salad with pepperoni, mozzarella, olives, peppers, and Italian dressing for a classic pizza-inspired party salad. Rotini is cooked, rinsed cold, then tossed with all the toppings and chilled until the flavors meld.
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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: 620
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Cool until no steam remains, about 2–5 minutes (visual cue: pasta looks glossy and separate).
Build the pizza toppings mixture
  1. Combine rotini pasta, pepperoni slices, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, black olives, and red onion in a large bowl. Mix gently so the toppings are evenly distributed (visual cue: every forkful shows pepperoni and cheese bits).
  2. Add Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Stir until the seasonings are fully moistened and no dry cheese pockets remain (visual cue: the pasta looks evenly coated).
  3. Toss everything together until well coated. Continue tossing 30–60 seconds so the dressing clings to the pasta (visual cue: an Italian-dressing sheen coats the noodles).
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the pizza pasta salad for at least 2 hours before serving to let the flavors meld. Cover the bowl to prevent drying (visual cue: pasta firms up slightly).
  2. Toss again and serve chilled. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed (visual cue: ingredients look refreshed and evenly coated after the second toss).

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the rotini well with cold water so it doesn’t clump during chilling. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze is not recommended because the mozzarella and tomatoes may change texture. For a lighter option, use part-skim mozzarella and a reduced-fat Italian dressing (you’ll still get the same pizza-topping feel).