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This Grinder Pasta Salad is everything you love about an Italian grinder sandwich but in pasta salad form. It’s loaded with hearty meats, fresh vegetables, cheeses, and a creamy but light dressing.
Serve it as a side dish for dinner or take it to your next gathering, church potluck, or summer BBQ.
Italian grinder sandwiches have always been a favorite in our house. The combination of salty meats, fresh vegetables, and rich cheeses, plus the mayo and vinegar dressing is unmatched. I knew I wanted to take those flavors and transform them into an easy summer pasta salad. What I didn’t know was how delicious it would be.
This Grinder Pasta Salad is unique! It has a homemade dressing that is creamy, bright, and ties everything together. It’s loaded with all the deli meats and cheeses you love- roasted turkey, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, and freshly grated parmesan. Then there’s the veggies, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and everyone’s favorite pepperoncinis.
It’s truly a fun twist on a grinder sandwich and I guarantee your family and friends will love it! You might also want to pair this pasta salad with a refreshing glass of State Fair Lemonade or an Italian Aperol Spritz Mocktail.
Grinder Pasta Salad Ingredients
This pasta salad is loaded with yummy flavors and textures. Keep reading for a few important notes.
- Pasta: I use rotini, but any medium-sized pasta shape will work (bow ties, penne, macaroni, etc.) Just an FYI, pasta with nooks and crannies holds onto the dressing best.
- Meats: Oven-roasted turkey, pepperoni, and salami. Grab your meats from the deli for the best flavor, stay away from the refrigerated meats section of the grocery store.
- Cheeses: Sliced provolone and freshly grated cheese are the best combo for grinders.
- Vegetables: Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini’s, and red onion.
- Dressing: A blend of mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, grated garlic cloves, pepperoncini juice, salt, and black pepper. It’s creamy, but still bright.
How to Make Grinder Pasta Salad
1. WHIP UP THE DRESSING. Whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, grated garlic clove, pepperoncini juice, salt, and black pepper. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
2. TOSS TOGETHER THE SALAD. To a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, prepped meats, veggies, and cheese. Pour over the dressing and combine until everything is well coated and distributed.
3. CHILL AND SERVE. Refrigerate your pasta salad for a few hours to elevate the flavors and allow the pasta to soak up the dressing.
Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below.
Tips for the Perfect Pasta Salad
Cook the pasta, but not too much. You want the pasta to be firm because it will soften as it soaks up the dressing. So whatever the package states, boil it at the lowest end of the scale. For my rotini it was 9 minutes.
Cut the add-ins small and in uniform shapes. You want each spoonful to have a little bit of everything. Take a look at the picture above to see how I cut my meats, veggies, and cheeses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
What To Serve With Your Grinder Pasta Salad
This pasta salad was made for light summer dishes.
Because it’s already pretty hearty, I like serving it with grilled veggies. You can also pair it with burgers, Smoked Hot Dogs, my Pulled Pork Sliders with Smoked Pork Butt, or some Chicken Wings.
More Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy
Grinder Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- ¼ pound oven roasted turkey - chopped in 2 inch long strips
- ¼ pound pepperoni - chopped in 2 inch long strips
- ¼ pound salami - chopped in 2 inch long strips
- 5 slices provolone cheese - chopped in 2 inch long strips
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese - freshly grated
- ½ head iceberg lettuce - thinly shredded
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - cut in 4's
- ½ cup pepperoncinis - sliced
- ½ cup red onion - thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise - homemade or store-bought
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini juice
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic - grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt - or to taste preferences
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - or to taste preferences
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium-sized measuring cup whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, pepperoncini juice, dried oregano, grated garlic clove, salt, and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large pot, boil rotini pasta in water until cooked to lowest end of the time scale (typically 9 or 10 minutes). Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water until cool.
- Meanwhile, prep the meats, cheeses, and vegetables as specified above.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked and cooled pasta, prepped oven roasted turkey, pepperoni, salami, provolone cheese, parmesan cheese, iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncinis, and red onion.
- Pour dressing overtop and toss well to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend and the pasta to soak up the dressing.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 3 to 4 days.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
