Pizza Friday Pasta Salad
Pizza Fridays from my childhood live on as this Pizza Friday Pasta Salad filled with pepperoni, tomatoes, green onions, marinated onions, mozzarella, basil and parmesan!
When I was in elementary school, every Friday was known as Pizza Friday. It was the absolute best day of the week. It was the one day my mom gave me money to buy school lunch and I would get the biggest slice of pizza and be in absolute heaven! I remember looking forward to it as a kid every week, and that was my inspo for this Pizza Friday Pasta Salad!
As I am now an adult, I’ve graduated from the plain cheese pizza slice, so this pasta salad incorporate all my favorite supreme pizza toppings! I also created this “pizza sauce” dressing that this pasta salad gets tossed in and it is AMAZING! It has that hint of tomatoes in it from the tomato paste and also has all a bunch of seasonings and freshly grated parm to give it an even bigger pizza taste.
Here are the Ingredients for this Grinder Sandwich Pasta Salad:
Protein - Pepperoni
Produce - Cherry Tomatoes, Green Bell Peppers, Red Onion, Basil, Garlic
Seasonings - Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper Flakes, Oregano
Pantry - Mezzi Rigatoni, Tomato Paste, Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Honey
Dairy - Mozzarella, Parmesan
Pizza Friday Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz mezzi rigatoni
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup pearl mozzarella balls, halved
- 1 cup green bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup marinated red onions
- 1 cup mini pepperoni slices
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
- 1 tap salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package direction and let cook to room temperature.
- Make the marinated red onions but combing the ingredients listed and letting it sit until the pasta is done cooking and cooking.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cherry, tomatoes, mozzarella, bell peppers, pepperoni, marinated red onions, basil, and 1/2 cup parmesan.
- To make the tomato sauce dressing, whisk together the tomato paste, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, honey, 1/4 cup parmesan, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and mix well. Serve with more parmesan or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
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