Easy Italian Chopped Pasta Salad Recipe
Easy Italian Chopped Pasta Salad Recipe
If you love a classic Italian sub or Italian Grinder Sandwich, then you’ll definitely love this Easy Italian Chopped Pasta Salad! This salad makes a great side dish or light summer meal.
A Perfect Summer Salad!
If you’re looking for a flavourful, hearty cold pasta salad that everyone will love, you definitely need to make this Italian Chopped Pasta Salad! This pasta salad has the most delicious and flavourful creamy dressing that pairs SO perfectly with all noodles and salad ingredients like mozzarella cheese, olives, pickled peppers, tomatoes, dry salami, pepperoni, bell peppers, onion, lettuce and radicchio. SO SO good. Yum.
Make it for backyard barbecues, picnics or potlucks!
This is a great salad that can be made ahead of time and brought to picnics and potlucks! It’s perfect for a summer party and backyard barbecues, it’s especially delicious with grilled steak or chicken. But it’s also great for a light lunch or dinner any day of the week…and bonus, the leftovers are SO good.
Italian Chopped Pasta Salad Recipe Tips
- NOODLES: Fusilli pasta or rotini pasta works well for this salad but you can use any type of dried pasta that you like.
- CHEESE: I used small cubes of mozzarella cheese for this salad, but feel free to use cubes of your favourite cheese. Other options that are delicious are fresh mozzarella, Monterey Jack, cheddar, and provolone.
- MEAT: I used chopped Genoa salami and pepperoni. Feel free to use deli ham or turkey.
- PICKLED PEPPERS: I used pickled pepperoncini peppers but you can use pickled banana pepper instead.
- ALLOW RESTING TIME: This salad needs at least 1 hour for marinating and resting to allow all of the flavours to come together. It’s even better if you can let it sit for several hours.
- LEFTOVERS: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just give the salad a good stir before each time you serve it.
- OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: Feel free to add 1/2 cup chopped pickled artichoke hearts, or use kalamata olives instead of black olives, or add some chopped fresh basil.
Handy tip: Make it Ahead!
This pasta salad tastes great the next day (maybe even better?!), so feel free to make it a day ahead of when you want to serve it.
Easy Italian Chopped Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Italian Chopped Pasta Salad:
- 2 cups dried pasta (I used fusilli)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped salami (I used Genoa salami)
- 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
- 1 cup small cubed mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers
- 1 can black olives (drained)
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup chopped radicchio
Italian Chopped Pasta Salad Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp finely chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers (or pickled banana peppers)
- 2 tsp pepperoncini pepper pickle brine (from the pickle jar) (or lemon juice)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- First boil 2 cups dried pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, and cook pasta until al dente (follow package directions). Drain well, then put the cooked pasta into a large serving bowl. Then toss the noodles with about 2 tsp olive oil.
- Add the salad ingredients to the pasta:1/2 cup chopped salami, 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni, 1 cup small cubed mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers, 1 can black olives, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup chopped radicchio
- Next make the dressing. I put all of the dressing ingredients into a wide mouth mason jar and use a hand blender to mix: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp finely chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers, 2 tsp pepperoncini pepper pickle brine (from the pickle jar), 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
- Cover and let rest at least 1 hour before serving.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Pasta salads for all occasions! From Classic Macaroni Salad to Bruschetta Pasta Salad, Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad and MORE, these Pasta Salad Recipes make a perfect side dish.
Have a delicious day!
