Ground Pork Quesadilla
June 17, 2026
Homemade Pork and Beans
July 23, 2026Pepperoni Pasta Salad is packed with pepperoni, salami, provolone, olives, and a sweet-tangy homemade dressing. It’s the perfect bold, make-ahead pasta salad for gatherings, potlucks, and easy dinners.
We like to make it alongside our Bacon Deviled Eggs and Homemade Pork and Beans.
A Quick Look at Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- ✅ Recipe Name: Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- ⏲️ Ready In: 25 minutes
- 👨👨👦👦 Serves: 10
- 🍽️ Calories: 607/ kcal
- 💪 Protein: 20 g
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, provolone cheese, salami, pepperoni, pepperoncini peppers, kalamata olives, gherkins.
- 📋 Dietary Info: A serving of this pasta salad provides a balance of protein, dairy, and vegetables.
- 💯 Why You’ll Love It: This pasta salad can be served immediately or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can make it for a last-minute gathering, or plan ahead and put it together when you have a free moment.
Pepperoni Pasta Salad leans into everything that makes a pasta salad everyone’s favorite. It’s loaded with bite-sized pieces of pepperoni, salami, and provolone, then balanced with briny olives, pepperoncini, sweet gherkins, and fresh vegetables for crunch and color.
The dressing pulls it all together. It has a sweet-tangy balance that coats every piece of pasta. This salad gets even better after it sits, making it a great option when you need something you can make ahead and trust to hold its own.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we will send this recipe to your mailbox for easy reference! Plus, we will send you our latest recipes every week!
Serve it paired with Air Fryer Pork Chops, pork burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, or as a quick meal on its own.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rotini pasta
- Multicolored cherry tomatoes (halved): the vibrant colors of these tomatoes really bring this pasta salad to life.
- Broccoli: cutting the broccoli florets into 1/2-inch pieces transforms them into bite-sized pieces that mix into the salad nicely.
- Red onion: if you’re not a fan of onion, this may be omitted.
- Provolone cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Salami
- Pepperoni
- Pepperoncini peppers
- Kalamata olives: other olives may be substituted, such as black olives
- Sweet gherkins
Dressing Ingredients
- Red wine vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Sugar
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Smoked paprika
Pepperoni Pasta Salad Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, being careful not to overcook. Drain and rinse with cool water until completely cooled.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta with the tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, provolone, Parmesan, salami, pepperoni, pepperoncini, olives, and sweet gherkins.
Step 3: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid or a blender, combine the dressing ingredients and shake or blend until well combined.
Step 4: Reserve a few tablespoons of dressing for later when serving the pasta salad. Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Step 5: Before serving, toss again with the reserved dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Sliced provolone cheese may be used in place of cubed. Dice the slices and mix according to recipe steps.
- Dice, cube, and cut all the ingredients while the pasta is boiling.
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad is a great, quick meal for a warm summer day. Make it one day and enjoy it the next!
Pepperoni Pasta Salad FAQ’s
It can be thrown together and eaten immediately, or prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This recipe is flexible.
Double-check the cooking instructions on the pasta box for al dente pasta. Shave 1-2 minutes off the listed boiling time to prevent the pasta from overcooking.
Yes! Be sure to follow the cooking instructions for the gluten-free noodles. These may vary from traditional pasta.
More Recipes
Looking for the perfect pork main menu item to pair with Pepperoni Pasta Salad? We suggest leading off with Braided Pork Tenderloin, the sweet and smoky BBQ jam sauce is hard to resist. But, Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions would be a tasty pairing too!
If you try this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others when they can read your personal feedback. And, if you snap any photos, please share them on Instagram so we can repost them to our Stories!
Pepperoni Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounce rotini pasta
- 10 ounce multicolored cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup fresh broccoli cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ½ pound provolone cheese cubed
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated or finely shredded
- ½ pound salami cubed
- 3 ounces sliced pepperoni cut in half
- 1 Tablespoon pepperoncini peppers diced
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives drained and halved
- ¼ cup sweet gherkins diced
Dressing Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup sugar or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, being careful not to overcook.16 ounce rotini pasta
- Drain and rinse with cool water until completely cooled.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, provolone, Parmesan, salami, pepperoni, pepperoncini peppers, olives, and sweet gherkins.10 ounce multicolored cherry tomatoes, 1 cup fresh broccoli, ½ cup red onion, ½ pound provolone cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, ½ pound salami, 3 ounces sliced pepperoni, 1 Tablespoon pepperoncini peppers, ¾ cup Kalamata olives, ¼ cup sweet gherkins
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid or a blender, combine the dressing ingredients and shake or blend until well combined.6 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1-2 cloves garlic, ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Reserve a few tablespoons of dressing for serving.
- Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Before serving, toss again with the reserved dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- Sliced provolone cheese may be used in place of cubed. Dice the slices and mix according to recipe steps.
- Dice, cube, and cut all the ingredients while the pasta is boiling.
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad is a great, quick meal for a warm summer day. Make it one day and enjoy it the next!
