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PEPPERONI PASTA SAL AD

$7.31 RECIPE / $1.22 SERVING

BUDGET BYTES » RECIPES » PASTA RECIPES » PEPPERONI PASTA SALAD

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Where did last week go? I didn’t get to cook much as I’d have liked last week, so I found
myself with a refrigerator full of miscellaneous ingredients that I wasn’t quite sure what I
wanted to do with. What do you do with a half bag of leftover spinach, some pepperoni you
got on sale, a can of beans, and a half block of mozzarella cheese? Toss them into a bowl
and call it a salad! After this mish-mash of ingredients that I’ve decided to call Pepperoni
Pasta Salad, I’m pretty sure I’m going to put pepperoni on every salad. It’s rich, salty, and
peppery bite was so amazing against the background of mild spinach and pasta. Absolutely
perfect!

PEPPER ONI PASTA S AL AD

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WHAT TYPE OF DRES S I NG I S BEST FO R

PEPPER ONI PASTA S AL AD?
Although I usually make my own dressings, I do buy them on occasion. I used a bottled
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dressing for this salad because it’s a lazy Saturday and I have some in my fridge that needs
to be used up. Any sort of Italian or Caesar dressing will go really well with this salad, so feel
free to use your favorite, whether store bought or homemade. Here are some other
ingredients that would also go really well in this salad, if you happen to have them on hand:
thinly sliced red onion, black olives, rotisserie chicken, mushrooms, banana pepper rings,
roasted red peppers.

HOW TO SERVE PEPPER O NI PASTA SAL AD

This is a pretty filling salad that I think could be counted as a main dish, especially if served
with some amazing Homemade Garlic Bread, or perhaps a cup of hot Roasted Red Pepper
and Tomato Soup.

P.S. A few of these ingredients were on sale, which really helped bring my cost down. The
tomatoes were on sale for $0.99 😱, the Boar’s Head pepperoni were only $2.50 for a 6oz.
package, and I got the spinach at Aldi, which is always super inexpensive. Keeping your eyes
peeled for sales pays off!

PEPPERONI PASTA SALAD

Pepperoni’s rich and peppery bite is the perfect contrast to
mild spinach, mozzarella, and pasta in this Pepperoni
Pasta Salad. 
TOTAL COST: $7.31 recipe / $1.22 serving
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOK TIME: 15 mins
TOTAL TIME: 25 mins
PRINT RECIPE 
SERVINGS: 6 About 2 cups each
GROCERY LIST 

INGREDIENTS FAVORITES

8 oz. bowtie pasta ($0.66)

1/2 Tbsp salt (for pasta water) ($0.02) 5 from 6 votes
 4 oz. fresh baby spinach ($0.65)
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15 oz. can kidney beans ($0.69)
3 oz. pepperoni ($1.25)
4 oz. mozzarella, cubed ($0.94)
1 pint grape tomatoes ($0.99)
6 oz. Italian or Caesar dressing ($2.00)
1 Tbsp Parmesan (optional) ($0.10)
Freshly cracked pepper (optional) ($0.02)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill a medium sauce pot with water and add 1/2 Tbsp salt. Bring the pot of water to
a boil over high heat, then add the pasta, and cook until tender. Drain the pasta in a
colander and rinse briefly with cool water to bring the temperature down. Let the
pasta drain well.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad. Roughly chop the spinach
leaves and place them in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the kidney beans, and slice
the grape tomatoes in half. Add the beans, tomatoes, pepperoni, and cubed
mozzarella to the bowl with the spinach.
3. When the pasta is cooked, cooled, and drained, add it to the bowl with the rest of
the salad ingredients. Toss the ingredients until everything is combined. Add the
salad dressing and then toss again until everything is coated. Serve the salad with a
little Parmesan and some freshly cracked pepper sprinkled over top of each bowl
See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!

NUTRITION
Serving: 1 Serving・ Calories: 444.02 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 51.73 g ・ Protein: 18.62 g
・ Fat: 18.17 g ・ Sodium: 1457.13 mg ・ Fiber: 6.52 g
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an
Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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STEP BY STEP PHOTO S

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Begin by filling a medium sauce pot with water and adding 1/2 Tbsp salt. Bring it to a boil,
add the pasta, and cook until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta and briefly rinse with cool
water to bring the temperature down. Let the pasta drain while you prepare the rest of the
salad. Roughly chop 4 oz. fresh baby spinach, then place it in a bowl.
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Also add one 15oz. can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained), 1 pint grape tomatoes (cut in
half), 4 oz. mozzarella (cubed) and 3 oz. pepperoni to the bowl.
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Once the pasta has cooked, cooled, and drained, add it to the bowl with the other
ingredients and toss until everything is combined. If you only plan on eating one portion at a
time, you can store it like this and just add dressing prior to serving each portion.
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When you’re ready to eat, add about 2 Tbsp of your favorite Italian or Caesar dressing to
each serving and toss until everything is coated. Top with a little Parmesan cheese (just a
tad) and a light sprinkle of freshly cracked pepper. Enjoy!

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 17, 2018 IN BEAN & GRAIN 9 COMMENTS »

RECIPES, BEAN RECIPES, EGG FREE RECIPES, MAIN DISH
RECIPES, PASTA RECIPES, RECIPES, RECIPES UNDER $10,
SALAD RECIPES, SIDE DISH RECIPES, SOY FREE RECIPES,
UNDER $1.50 PER SERVING
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9 COMMENTS ON “PEPPERONI PASTA SAL AD”

VICTORIA —
04.16.18 @ 12:17 PM REPLY

Oh man, this is so good. I used Caeser for my dressing and it’s hard not to eat ALL
this salad in one sitting!

SARAH —
04.12.18 @ 9:44 AM REPLY

Has anyone tried this with mixed spring greens instead of spinach? I’ll have leftover
mixed greens from another meal next week, and I’m trying to cut down on waste.
Thanks!

BETH M —
04.12.18 @ 11:56 AM REPLY

That should work great! :)

KELSEY —
03.26.18 @ 6:38 PM REPLY

This is an amazing and quick combination! I added a little oil/balsamic vinegar as the
dressing.

JANE COSTANZA —
03.07.18 @ 1:54 PM REPLY

Very good.
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TALLYA —
02.26.18 @ 12:19 AM REPLY

Made this today with mini bowtie pasta, less spinach because a lot of what I had was
wilted, I also cut he pepperoni into strips and added sliced red onion, with Olive
Garden salad dressing I had in the fridge. I loved the salad as well as 2 of my kids
who love mostly everything. Pasta salads are awesome because they are fresh yet
filling and are easy because they dont need heating when eaten the next day. Thanks
for this one!

MARIA —
02.20.18 @ 9:51 AM REPLY

Oh, I love pepperoni pasta salad. Thanks this recipe!

LATRICE —
02.18.18 @ 7:43 PM REPLY

Oh, my gosh. My sister LOVES pepperoni. Looks like I’m going to have to make this
recipe soon!!

JANET —
02.18.18 @ 9:26 AM REPLY

I’m not a pepperoni fan, but my husband is, big time! I fixed this last night with
bottled Caesar dressing, added some olives and strips of roasted red pepper. DH also
loves kidney beans, but I think any plain canned beans would work–cannellini,
garbanzos, even pintos. I didn’t have spinach so used romaine. My tip for garlic toast–
throw french bread (or any good bakery style bread) in the toaster. When it pops up,
rub a clove of raw garlic over the surface–the rough toasted edges will grate the
garlic–and then butter as usual. Yummy garlic taste, and not much work
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