Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad
I know, I know. Another ‘pizza’ themed recipe. I’m sure it’s kinda getting to be overkill at this point, right?
Well just bear with me one more time. This’ll be the last ‘pizza-style’ recipe I share for a while (at least I THINK it will. I may change my mind about that), and it really was too good NOT to share with you all in the case that you hadn’t heard of it before.
Does pizza have a flavor? I don’t mean the individual ingredients themselves, I mean the actual dish of pizza in and of itself- does it have a specific taste and flavor all on it’s own?
I think so. I mean, I sure can pick out a particular smell at my job and immediately think, “Someone here ordered pizza.”
Then I stick out my bottom lip and kick an imaginary rock because somebody has pizza and they’re not sharing it with me.
I don’t care if it’s just one of the $5 Hot-N-Readys from Little Caesars. When you’re at work and you smell pizza, ANY kind of pizza smells and looks good. And when you don’t get any, you just get in a really rotten mood, then turn back to your crappy food that you brought from home and tell yourself that it tastes just as good. (It definitely doesn’t. Very few things taste as good as pizza.)
I decided to make this dish purely out of curiosity. I thought it sounded like a good idea, but wasn’t exactly sure if pasta salad- that most famous dish of cookouts that’s usually just seasoned with a bottle of Italian dressing, could actually taste like the ‘flavors’ of a pizza. As it turned out, it really did because the first thing that came out of mouth when I took a bite of this was, “Heh. It tastes like pizza.” (i.i, delicious)
Although the title of this recipe is Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad, I think you should really just adapt it for yourself, and throw whatever you eat on your pizza, into this salad. Supreme Pizza is just what I like, so I used the toppings, plus some roasted red peppers that I roughly chopped up.
Well, I kinda take that back. There are some rules that go with this when it comes to add-ins. You have to put pepperoni in this- even if you don’t like it on your pizza. And if you don’t like pepperoni on your pizza, then you’re dead to me.
Also, if by some horrible error of your tastebuds in fooling you into believing that you like things like anchovies or black olives on your pizza, then you shouldn’t add them in here either. They’re both disgusting. They’ll ruin the dish.
I’m taking this dish to this week’s Fiesta Friday #28, hosted by Margot and Saucy. Give it a shot, it’s quick, easy, and tastes like pizza: what more do you want from me? 😉
And now, because I’ve run out of things to say and am too lazy to try and think of anything else to discuss: some completely random facts I hunted down just for you guys.
- It takes the “Where’s Waldo” artist one month to complete a drawing. (Yeah, I can definitely buy that. I have no idea how that guy can make so detailed drawings that, save for the one itty bitty space where Waldo is hiding, are wholly insignificant. Great talent.)
- Oprah Winfrey earns $315,000,000/year = $26,000,000/month = $6,000,000/week = $850,000/day = $35,000/hr = $600/minute = $10/sec! (I don’t know whether to be really happy about this because Oprah represents such a Cinderella story, or really depressed because my yearly salary is what she makes in an hour and a half.)
- Make a fist with your left hand, squeeze your left thumb and then put your right index finger down your throat. “NO GAG REFLEX” (OMG, guys, I actually tried it, and it worked! #MINDBLOWN)
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Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad
Recipe Adapted from Rachael Ray
CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION
Ingredients
- 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped - 8 fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 stick pepperoni, casing removed and cut into a small dice
- 1 (9.6 oz) bag of pre-cooked sausage crumbles
- 20 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced
- 1 pound rotini pasta, cooked to al dente and cooled under cold water, then drained
Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves or Italian dried seasoning
- 1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Combine tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella, basil and pasta in a big bowl.
2. Whisk garlic salt, oregano or Italian seasoning, tomato paste and vinegar together. Stream in extra-virgin olive oil while continuing to whisk dressing.
3. When oil is incorporated, pour dressing over pasta salad, add a few grinds of black pepper to the bowl. Add the parmesan cheese, then toss salad to coat evenly. Adjust your seasonings and serve salad.
I love the pepperoni in your pasta salad to spice it up! This sounds like a great combination of flavors, I’m definitely going to have to try it out on one of my pasta salads in the future. (It’s my go to lunch). Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks Kaila-I’m normally not a huge pasta salad fan, but this made a believer out of me for sure lol Happy FF!
Your pasta looks really appetizing!!
LOL, that part about Oprah making $10/sec. I’m going to see The Hundred-Foot Journey tonight, which she co-produced with Spielberg, but she doesn’t really need me to pay for admission, right? No wonder she was always giving stuff away on her show!
Haha, no I’m sure she wouldn’t miss the cost of her your movie ticket- but I was curious about that movie too, it’s supposed to be very good. Go see it and share how it was- thanks for commenting 😉
Yum!! This looks so good!
Thank you, I appreciate that- it tastes pretty good too 😉
Mmm, looks good! 🙂
Thanks Sophia!
This pasta looks amazing ,Jess! I have to admit, I’m one of those who don’t like pepperoni on my pizza! lol. And I really think Italian seasoning makes that “pizza” flavor! So delicious! And oh my gosh! Is that really how much Oprah makes?!?! Sheesh! I only need a fraction of that and I’d be deliriously happy! =)
It’s alright, Andrea- I love you, so I won’t hold it against you lol Thanks 🙂
Your pizza recipes all look so good–I want to try them all eventually! Maybe I will start with this one–your photos really capture all the yumminess of this pasta salad! 🙂
Thank you so much Nancy- I agree, this would be the easiest one to start with first, and I really don’t think you’d be disappointed 🙂
Mmmm, pizza + pasta? I’m sold 🙂
I know, right: pizza and pasta is like a match made in Heaven lol Thank you much!
Pasta salad looks so good
Thank you!
Jess adore your different ways of pizza fusion. …just looks fantastic….
Thank you Chitra, I was kinda paranoid that it was overkill and people would be sick of them by now lol
Yum yum Jess! Love the idea and the flavors 🙂
Thank you!
What a great idea! Yum. And you’re right abour your little gagging trick (I just had to try it) 😀
Thanks Martina, wasn’t that trick CRAZY? I couldn’t believe it actually worked lol
It really was. I just wonder why, though. Another mystery added to my universe 🙂
Wow, pizza-pasta salad!! Two of my favourite things combined into one dish! 🙂 …By the way, pizza themed recipes are never enough! 😉
Thanks Serena 🙂
Mmmm Jess, this is destined to become a classic, don’t you think? 😀
That would certainly be nice, thanks Julianna 🙂
I love anything flavored like pizza, pasta salad with pepperoni and sausage, yum!
Thanks Suzanne , me too 🙂
I had no idea Oprah made that kind of money! I can’t even imagine, can you?? Anyhoo, this pasta salad sounds great! I definitely think there is a pizza smell, and if you can get that in a pasta salad then dinner would be super exciting! Thank you for sharing this with Fiesta Friday this week, and I for one think there can never be too many pizza turned recipes! 🙂
I can ONLY imagine making that kind of lol Thank you:-)
Brilliant! This would be delicious with a piece of grilled naan or flat bread. I respect Oprah. I would love to have that dough but not the problems that come with it.
I agree- as wealthy as Oprah is, I also do believe that she’s a very lonely person. With that much money, it must be near to impossible to ever really trust anybody- family included. Thanks 🙂
I’m loving these pizza themed desserts! I totally know what you mean about the grumpy ‘I want pizza NOW’ mood you get when you’re craving a slice…lol! This salad look delicious 🙂
Thanks Heather, glad I’m not the only one 🙂
This looks great …making this one!
Thank you Arlene! You should, it’s super easy and so worth it 🙂
oooh this looks so good, I am definitely going to try this one. Your facts made me chuckle too, not sure i trust you on the last one though haha
What a great idea this is! Your writing cracks me up, just like you’re sitting right here. Yesterday there was a pizza box in the break room at work and it was just me in there, I wanted to open it up so bad to see if there was anything in there- definitely made my lean cuisine sound super lame- you can’t beat pizza … just can’t.