Description
This crowd-pleasing pasta salad is packed with bold flavors from pepperoni, salami, provolone cheese, and fresh veggies like bell peppers and cherry tomatoes—all tossed in a tangy Italian dressing. It’s a super simple, refreshing side dish that’s perfect for picnics, potlucks, or as a light main for any dinner gathering.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pasta
- 1 (16 ounce) package fusilli (spiral) pasta
Vegetables
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (10 ounce) can black olives, drained
- 1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos, drained
Meats & Cheese
- 1/2 pound provolone cheese, cubed
- 1/2 pound salami, cubed
- 1/4 pound sliced pepperoni, cut in half
Dressing
- 1 (8 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing
Instructions
- Prepare the Pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the fusilli pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta thoroughly and let it cool slightly.
- Mix Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, cubed provolone cheese, cubed salami, halved pepperoni slices, chopped green bell pepper, drained black olives, and drained pimentos. Gently toss everything together to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Add Dressing and Toss: Pour the Italian salad dressing over the salad mixture. Toss well to thoroughly coat the pasta and other ingredients with dressing, ensuring every bite is flavorful.
- Chill and Serve: For best results, cover and refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve chilled and enjoy!
Notes
- You can easily substitute rotini or penne pasta if fusilli isn’t available.
- For a vegetarian version, leave out the salami and pepperoni and increase the cheese or add more veggies.
- The salad is best after chilling, but you can serve it right away if you’re short on time.
- Feel free to adjust the ingredients—add cucumbers, red onion, or swap in your favorite cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16 of recipe
- Calories: 247
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 759mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 32mg
