Grinder Pasta Salad

Our obsession with Italian antipasto salad doesn’t end with the Ginder Sandwich (or viral grinder salad). We had to take this addictive flavor combination one step further with our grinder pasta salad recipe. This twist on a classic salad and sandwich is one of our favorites!

This pasta salad has three kinds of Italian meat, fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, and crisp romaine tossed with al dente cavatappi pasta and dressed with our homemade salad dressing. It’s perfect for a picnic, potluck, or lunch to enjoy at home.

The addition of pasta to this grinder salad recipe makes it more filling to work as a meal itself. Or, you can serve it alongside Baby Back Ribs or grilled Spatchcock Chicken as a unique and filling side dish.

Why is This Called a Grinder Pasta Salad?

If you’ve had the TikTok viral Grinder Salad, you’ve eaten a variation of an antipasto salad, an Italian salad with a mix of cured meats, tangy vegetables, and fresh cheese. We added a fun twist to make this a pasta salad recipe filled with all the Italian flavors and textures you’ll find in a Ginder sandwich. But instead of bread, we added al dente cavatappi noodles.

We really love how the noodles soak up the salad dressing and add a delicious and filling element to this recipe!

How to Make Our Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients

Process

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk until well blended.
2. In another mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients.

3. Pour the salad dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss together until evenly combined. Serve.

Make Ahead and Storing Pasta Salad

This recipe is easy to meal prep the morning of or even the day before.

To prepare this salad in advance:

You can prepare the salad dressing and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

You can also mix all ingredients except for the lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl with a lid and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add the lettuce and tomatoes just before serving to keep them from getting too soggy.

Leftovers with the lettuce and tomatoes added will last for around 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Variations and Substitutions

• Use iceberg lettuce instead of romaine.

• Swap the cured meats. We love the mixture of mortadella, soppressata, and salami, but you can also choose from roasted turkey, prosciutto, Spanish chorizo, and pepperoni.

• Swap the mozzarella for havarti, mozzarella, fontina, or Swiss.

• Any short pasta shape will work. You can use rigatoni, penne, farfalle, orecchiettte, elbow, or ziti.

• Instead of pepperoncini and cherry peppers (if these are a little too spicy), you can use pickles, marinated peppers, cornichons, or olives.

• While we love our creamy salad dressing, you can always make this pasta salad lighter with our red wine vinaigrette!

What to Serve with Our Pasta Salad Recipe

While this pasta salad is enough to qualify as a meal in our book, it complements so many other dishes as well. Try serving it with any of these favorites!

• Pork Chop Sandwich
• White Bean and Kale Soup
• Grilled Tri-Tip Sandwiches
• Grilled Pork Belly
• Mustard and Slaw Topped Bratwurst

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