Italian Pasta Salad With Pepperoni

This Italian pasta salad with pepperoni is perfect for snacking, parties, backyard BBQ’s, and meal prep. Pasta salad recipes are great for lunches and even quick dinners!

Making pasta salad is quick and easy. This versatile Italian pasta salad with pepperoni is great for lunches, meal prep, no heat dinners, and of course picnics and parties!

If you need a simple recipe that is packed with flavor and texture you have to try this pepperoni pasta salad. You can even add in other vegetables, cheeses, or meats.

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Is this a spicy pasta salad recipe?

Not really! The pepperoni does add a little bit of zing but they’re no so spicy that I would consider this a spicy recipe or a too hot for kids, etc. This is a very family friendly Italian pasta salad with pepperoni, everyone will devour it at parties and picnics.

You can always just make sure that the pepperoni that you use are extra mild. Use whatever kind you would normally eat and you will be able to control the spice level that way.

Can I use a different kind pasta? Gluten free pasta?

You can absolutely use whatever kind of pasta or whatever shape of pasta you like for this Italian pasta salad with pepperoni. I like the tri-color pasta for Italian pasta salad recipes but you can substitute any kind of pasta you like.

If you need to make this a gluten free pasta salad recipe you can easily swap in some gluten free pasta as well. Make sure to add just a little bit more dressing that you would with regular pasta in that case.

Gluten free pasta has a tendency to soak up a bit more dressing and get dry very quickly so I try and make sure I add a little bit of extra liquid when I’m using gluten free pasta.

If you have other allergies you can absolutely substitute those in for things like the cheese as well! This Italian pasta salad is hearty and easy to make, it’s very forgiving and you can add in things you like and leave out things you don’t!

What other kinds of vegetables and meat can I add to this pasta salad?

I love serving this recipe up as is but I also love to add things the mix when I have them on hand and need to use them up. You can add in chunks of salami, vegetables like cherry tomatoes (cut them in half) or even cucumbers and black olives.

There is no wrong way to spice up this Italian pasta salad with pepperoni. It’s great as it stands but you can also feel free to make it your own by adding in some of your favorite ingredients!

Kitchen essentials for tasty pasta salad recipes:

When you head into the kitchen to make some of these great recipes (like Italian pasta salad with pepperoni) you’ll want to have the best tools on hand.

I serve this recipe up in a mixing bowl when we make it for parties and gatherings so do yourself a favor and get a set of mixing bowls that you can use to mix this up and then serve it right out of the bowl!

I like half sheet baking pans that are quality (hello no noisy pops or sloshed cookie dough from twisting), I line my cookie sheets with silicone baking mats. These are a must when doing dessert recipes and even for baking things like biscuits and pizzas!  

Of course mixing bowls, a mixer, spatula, and some whisks should be on your list if you don’t have ones that you love. I also like to have a set of cooling racks so that my recipes can properly cool before they’re scarfed down by my family!

Ingredients needed for Italian pasta salad with pepperoni:

As the name states we will be using pepperoni in this recipe, we will also be using rotini pasta, cheese, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. You can make your own Italian dressing with us or just sub in a bottled version!

If you substitute in a bottled dressing you won’t need the oil, vinegar, and spices. I like making my own dressing because it’s super simple and I like fact that I can control the overall flavors but you do whatever is easiest for you!

How to make an Italian pasta salad:

In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta with olive oil and vinegar, toss to coat.

Add cheese cubes, peperoni, sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and water.

Toss to combine all of the ingredients and mix the spices throughout.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to chill pasta salad.

This can be made the night before and is also great leftover.

Looking for some more recipes to try?

If you are loving this Italian pasta salad recipe you will flip for these other family friendly simple recipes. We like to keep things easy around here so rest assured that any of these recipes will be a great addition to your meal plans for the week, no muss, no fuss!

Kids will love recipes like Easy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe, Ruby Tuesday Potato Cheese Soup Recipe, Ruby Tuesday Biscuits, Apple Hand Pies with Canned Pie Filling, No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, and Fudge Recipes!

I love to make Delicious Acorn Squash Casseroles, Easy Squash and Zucchini Casserole, Pork Chop Sheet Pan Dinner, Lemon Chicken Tortellini Salad, Beef Pot Pie Recipe, Ham and Pineapple Pasta Salad, and Creamy Cauliflower Soup | Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Recipe!

If you just want some simple no bake desserts you have to try Easy No Bake Key Lime Pie, No Bake Christmas Cookies, No Bake Pumpkin Dessert, Easy No Bake Cracker Candy Treats, No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, Easy No-Bake Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe, Delicious Cannoli Dip, and Chocolate Cheesecake Pie With Pudding!

Printable Italian Pasta Salad Recipe: