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This Pizza Pasta Salad is so great for summer get togethers! It is loaded with pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Featured with this Recipe
We make this pizza pasta salad all the time when we are feeding a crowd, it’s the perfect side dish for BBQ’s and picnics and potlucks. It is also a very kid friendly pasta salad. Dress it up as you would your favorite pizza and then you are good to go!
Ingredients in Pizza Pasta Salad
- Noodles – you can use tri-color rotini pasta, but you can also use bowtie, penne, fusilli, tortellini, or we have even seen this made with spaghetti noodles. We like using the rotini noodles because it seems to hold a lot of the delicious dressing. Cook according to package directions, then drain and rinse.
- Bernstein’s Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing – the secret to this Pizza Pasta Salad is the dressing. You have to get the Bernstein’s Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing. It is sooo much better than your regular Italian dressings (no, this is NOT a sponsored post– I really do just like it that much). I have been able to find a bottle of it at just about every grocery store I have been to. If you can’t find it, then you can also use Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing.
- Sliced Pepperoni – you can also use the mini pepperonis.
- Mozzarella – use fresh mozzarella, mozzarella pearls, or regular mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
- Tomatoes – use diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. If the cherry tomatoes are on the larger side, then cut them in half.
- Black Olives
- Parmesan Cheese
The Secret is in the Dressing
The secret to this is the dressing. You have to get the Bernstein’s Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing. It is sooo much better than your regular Italian dressings (no, this is NOT a sponsored post– I really do just like it that much). I have been able to find a bottle of it at just about every grocery store I have been to. It is so good!
Substitutions and Additions
Feel free to leave any of the ingredients out if you think a family member wouldn’t like it. Our dad won’t do olives so if we know he is going to be eating with us we either make him a batch with no olives or we use whole olives so they are easy to pick out. You can pretty much use any of your favorite pizza toppings as an addition to this recipe, including but not limited to:
- Sliced mushrooms
- Chopped or sliced red onion
- Red or green bell peppers
- Green Chilies
- Pepperocinis
- Cooked sausage crumbles
- Pineapple
- Ham/Canadian Bacon
- Chopped artichoke hearts
- Spices like Italian seasoning, garlic, fresh basil, and oregano
Recipe Tip
For the perfect pasta, cook to just barely al dente. Then, drain the pasta and rinse with cold water immediately after cooking. This stops the cooking process and keeps the pasta from getting too soggy. It also rinses off some of the starches and makes it so the pasta doesn’t stick together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rinse the pasta in cold water and then drain to cool it down before adding other ingredients.
Yes! In fact it is better to cook it the day before so then the flavors have time to mesh!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Read Next: 35+ Best BBQ Side Dishes
Other Delicious Pasta Salads
Making more than one pasta salad or just want some more pasta salad recipe ideas? Then we’ve got you covered:
- BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad
- Light Greek Pasta Salad
- Layered Pasta Salad
- Mom’s Traditional Macaroni Salad
- Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Summer Pasta Salad
How to Make Pizza Pasta Salad
Pizza Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 1 bag colored spiral noodles
- ¾ cup pepperoni cut into wedges
- ¾ cup mozzarella cut into small cubes
- ½ cup olives sliced
- ¾ cup fresh tomatoes diced
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese not the powdery kind
- 1 bottle Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Then, drain and rinse with cold water.
- Mix together all ingredients and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. We like to put it in a tupperware container with a tight lid and flip it upside down, then right side up a few times while it is chilling to distribute the dressing into the pasta better.
Notes
- Sliced mushrooms
- Chopped or sliced red onion
- Red or green bell peppers
- Cooked sausage crumbles
- Pineapple
- Ham/Canadian Bacon
- Chopped artichoke hearts
- Spices like Italian seasoning, garlic, fresh basil, and oregano
Nutrition Information
great!
The salad sounds good but Bernstein’s is definitely NOT an option. In the 2 towns nearest to us I could find no grocery that carries it. The Bernstein’s website said they could find no sellers in our area. I can order it from Amazon ($13.50/14 oz.) but I’m not rich enough to splurge like that. Since you said the secret is in the dressing and it has to be Bernstein’s, do you have any other suggestions?
Ken’s or Newmann’s Own should work!
Delicious. Love this for summer and for potlucks! I’m thinking of using the mini pepperonis next time instead of cutting them all up so it can save me a step. You think those will work ok?
This is usually the first thing gone, anytime I have taken it anywhere! I make it all the time, because it’s quick & easy & has tons of flavor!
What a great mash up of two of my favorite recipes! Loved this recipe; easily, a new favorite dish!