Grinder Pasta Salad has taken over social media for good reason. Grab your greens, meats, and cheeses, and get ready to replace your roll with rotini! This dish comes complete with your favorite fresh sandwich ingredients, (minus the bread), and smothers them in a delicious mayo-based dressing.
Italian Grinder Pasta Salad
Our simple Grinder Pasta Salad recipe is a spin on the Italian sandwich. It features shredded lettuce, various veggies, cold cuts, and cheeses mixed with pasta and coated in creamy salad dressing.
Say goodbye to TikTok’s trending viral salad. The best grinder pasta salad recipes allow you to build your own bowl. While I chose classic Italian sub sandwich ingredients to make my grinder salad, you can use the ratios in the recipe to mix and match any meat and cheese combinations you love.
What is a Grinder Pasta Salad
Grinder pasta salad is a spin on the viral TikTok Grinder sandwich. It showcases meats and cheeses that you would typically find in an Italian sandwich, like pepperoni, salami, ham, mozzarella, and provolone.
Love pasta sala? We have a ton of pasta salad recipes to fill your every need!
Ingredients Notes
- Rotini pasta: You can substitute any small pasta for the rotini. I prefer spiral pasta, as it holds onto the creamy dressing really well. Bow-tie pasta, shells, rigatoni, or penne are other options that would work. Use conventional or gluten-free pasta.
- Mayonnaise: This creamy base provides a rich and smooth texture for the grinder pasta salad dressing. It helps coat the pasta and other salad ingredients thoroughly, making the dressing cling better to them.
- Parmesan cheese: I prefer to use freshly grated parmesan cheese, but store-bought shredded parmesan cheese will work in a pinch.
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar: Red wine vinegar works well in place of the balsamic vinegar in the dressing.
- Italian seasoning
- Mustard
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Iceberg lettuce: Finely shredded lettuce helps to bulk up the salad base without overpowering the other flavors.
- Mozzarella pearls: I love the bursts of creamy flavor in these mini mozzarella balls, but you could use a block of mozzarella and cut it into small cubes.
- Pepperoni, ham, salami: This mix of meats adds savory flavor and a chewy texture to the grinder sandwich pasta salad. You could also use prosciutto, turkey, chicken, roast beef, bacon, or any thinly sliced deli meat you prefer.
- Provolone: Feel free to choose another cheese, like Monterey jack or fontina, or even more flavorful options like smoked Gouda, aged goat cheese, cheddar, Swiss, or Gorgonzola.
- Cherry tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are a great substitute for the cherry tomatoes. Choose small bite-size tomatoes that are in season and bright in color and flavor.
- Red onions: The sharp, pungent flavor and a crunchy texture adds a bit of zing to the salad.
- Pepperoncini peppers: You can use roasted red peppers if you can’t handle the heat.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Grinder Pasta Salad
- Prepare The Pasta: Boil the rotini pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
- Make The Dressing: Stir together the mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble The Salad: Combine the pasta, lettuce, mozzarella pearls, pepperoni, ham, salami, provolone, tomatoes, red onion, and pepperoncini peppers.
- Coat The Contents: Toss the salad with the dressing until all the ingredients are coated.
- Chill: Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until cold.
- Serve: Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This dish is a complete meal on its own, with plenty of protein, carbs, and veggies that will keep you feeling full for hours. You can also serve it as a side dish for your next get-together, pack it for a picnic, or bring it to a barbecue.
Tips & Variations
- Cut The Carbs: For a lower carb count, you can leave out the pasta and bulk up your bowl with more veggies. Try my other low-carb, keto-friendly meals made with your favorite sandwich ingredients. My Sub Sandwich in a Bowl and Cheeseburger Salad (Big Mac Without the Bun) are also prepared without pasta.
- Skip A Step: If you want to enjoy the pasta salad right away, you can skip the chill time. However, letting the ingredients rest in the dressing allows them to soak up the flavors and really adds to the salad. I recommend chilling it if possible.
- Choose A salad chopper: I love a chopped grinder pasta salad and this tool chops everything perfectly! You can make it, store it, and eat it right out of the tub!
Proper Storage
- To Store: Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. The lettuce will start to get soggy, so prepare this dish as close to serving as possible.
Make Your Meal Ahead
To prepare this salad the day before, follow the directions and add everything except the lettuce. Mix in the lettuce just before serving to keep it crisp.
Another option is to prep as many of the chopped ingredients in advance as possible. You can boil the noodles ahead of time and store them in the fridge. The dressing can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. You can save yourself some time as you’ll just need to toss everything together!
More Pasta Salad Recipes
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Grinder Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
For the Dressing:
- 1¼ cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- ½ head Iceberg lettuce finely shredded
- 6 ounces mozzarella pearls
- 20 slices pepperoni halved
- 10 slices deli ham chopped
- 10 slices salami quartered
- 6 slices provolone chopped
- 5 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ medium red onion diced
- 6 pepperoncini peppers sliced
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil the rotini pasta per the package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, rinse it with cold water, and set it aside while you prepare the dressing.12 ounces rotini pasta
- Add the mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, mustard, salt, and pepper to a medium mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together until incorporated.1¼ cups mayonnaise, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ tablespoon mustard, Salt and pepper to taste
- In a large serving bowl, add the rotini pasta, lettuce, mozzarella pearls, pepperoni, ham, salami, provolone, tomatoes, red onion, and pepperoncini peppers.½ head Iceberg lettuce, 6 ounces mozzarella pearls, 20 slices pepperoni, 10 slices deli ham, 10 slices salami, 6 slices provolone, 5 ounces cherry tomatoes, ½ medium red onion, 6 pepperoncini peppers
- Pour the dressing over the top of the salad and gently toss until all the ingredients are coated in the dressing.
- Cover the pasta salad and chill it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until it is cold and you are ready to serve it.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. The lettuce will start to get soggy, so prepare this dish as close to serving as possible.
- For a lower carb count, you can leave out the pasta and bulk up your bowl with more veggies. Try my other low-carb, keto-friendly meals made with your favorite sandwich ingredients. My Sub Sandwich in a Bowl and Cheeseburger Salad (Big Mac Without the Bun) are also prepared without pasta.
- If you want to enjoy the pasta salad right away, you can skip the chill time. However, letting the ingredients rest in the dressing allows them to soak up the flavors and really adds to the salad. I recommend chilling it if possible.
- I love a chopped grinder pasta salad and this tool chops everything perfectly! You can make it, store it, and eat it right out of the tub!
