Name: Pizza Pasta Salad
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 cups pasta, cooked; 4 ounces turkey pepperoni minis (Hormel); 2 cups bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped; 6 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls; 1/4 cup mild pepper rings, chopped; 1 cup green beans, steamed and chopped; 28 ounces canned tomatoes, drained; 2 cups mushrooms, sliced; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoons fat free Italian dressing (Kraft); 2 tablespoons pizza seasoning

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Bringing together the best of both worlds, Pizza Pasta Salad is made for sharing with friends at any gathering. Make your next meal exciting and delicious.

Weeknight dinners feel extra special with pizza pasta salad on the table. Fresh, quick and full of flavor, it’s a go-to for busy days. #PizzaPastaSaladDelight #ItalianInspiredEats #FoodieFaves #SummerSides #EasyMealIdeas

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S works BOTH days this weekend. Which sucks. He took Thursday and Friday off so he didn’t accrue overtime. So, I worked while he was home and he’ll work while I’m home. This is usually when I’m in the kitchen creating a bunch of stuff. When he’s here we’re either doing something or we’re watching movies so there’s not much kitchen time. Well, except for the regular meals we make during the week.

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Since it’s two days I’ll probably clean on Sunday and be a hoor Saturday.

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I have CIC, SRC, and GYCO to finish up this weekend and post next week. I’m also thinking of the #SundaySupper for next weekend and the weekend after. Life as a food blogger is never dull, that’s for sure.

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On the way home from work he usually asks what’s for dinner. When I told him Pizza Pasta Salad, he was a bit confused. Didn’t quite understand the concept. Most of the recipes I have seen didn’t really a good pizza tasting dressing on it. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really associate a vinegar-y flavor with pizza. No offense to those other recipes on those other sites.

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Spices make the dressing

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Since S isn’t a huge fan of vinegar. I knew that if I wanted to make this salad, the key was in the dressing. And, it worked! This salad, tastes like pizza. Of course, having Penzeys Pizza Spice doesn’t hurt. I think I could honestly spend my entire paycheck there at least once a month. But then again, S might leave me because I’ve added more to the pantry that is now jam packed. LOL I am seriously trying to downsize it. There’s so much baking stuff still in boxes. It’s sad.

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*sigh*

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That just means I need to get my butt into the kitchen and start creating…PRONTO!

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Okay. A word on pepperoni.

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I like the turkey pepperoni actually better than the regular stuff. It’s spicier. I LIKE that about my pepperoni. I may actually buy a package of the regular sized turkey to make pepperoni chips out of. So, when I saw these minis, I knew they would be perfect for this salad. This married with fresh mozzarella pearls, made for yummy pizza goodness in a salad.

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I didn’t take pictures. You just toss it all in a bowl. That’s not a very interesting, photographic subject matter. Though I did use an empty water bottle to mix my dressing. Yes, I know I said bowl in the directions, but I used a water bottle. I was going to use my salad dressing shaker bottle, but it’s still full of tarragon goodness from the Nicoise Shrimp Salad. Yup. That’s later. It was a salad week this week.

Pizza Pasta Salad

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Weeknight dinners feel extra special with pizza pasta salad on the table. Fresh, quick and full of flavor, it’s a go-to for busy days.

Ingredients

4 cups pasta, cooked
4 ounces turkey pepperoni minis (Hormel)
2 cups bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
6 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
1/4 cup mild pepper rings, chopped
1 cup green beans, steamed and chopped
28 ounces canned tomatoes, drained
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons fat free Italian dressing (Kraft)
2 tablespoons pizza seasoning

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions omitting salt and fat. Cool to room temperature.
Drain one can of tomatoes and reserve tomato juice.
Combine first 10 ingredients (pasta through mushrooms) in a large mixing bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon pizza seasoning.
Combine reserved tomato juice, remaining tablespoon pizza seasoning, tomato paste, and Italian dressing in a small mixing bowl.
Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss well to coat. Serve with crusty Italian or ciabatta bread.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 355Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 42mgSodium 834mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 8gSugar 10gProtein 20g