Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni

• servings: 10 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

16 ounces spiral pasta

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (cubed, about half-inch pieces Use firm mozzarella if fresh is not available.)

4 ounces turkey pepperoni (sliced and quartered)

1 cup red onion (thinly sliced and separated into rings and loosely chopped)

1 cup green bell pepper (chopped)

4 ounces canned, sliced ripe olives (drained)

½ cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

1 ½ cups grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)

1 cup olive oil

½ cup white wine vinegar

6 cloves garlic (minced)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain again and set aside.

On large cutting board, cut tomatoes in half. Then dice fresh mozzarella and cut pepperoni into quarters. Set aside.

Next, dice the green bell peppers and onions and set aside.

In large bowl, stir to combine pasta, chopped green bell peppers and onions, diced mozzarella, cut pepperoni and tomatoes, black olives and shredded Parmesan cheese.

In small bowl add olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil and whisk to combine. Pour over salad and stir gently to coat.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Stir again before serving cold.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1.5 cups
• Calories: 511 kcal
• Total Fat: 32 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Cholesterol: 35 mg
• Sodium: 618 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 39 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 17 g