This Pizza Pasta Salad recipe is one of my favorite healthy lunch meal preps. Not only is it insanely delicious (with homemade Italian dressing), but it’s also gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. It’s packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
To keep it lower in calories and more on the healthy side, I use chickpea pasta noodles, turkey pepperoni, and turkey bacon.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Pizza Pasta Salad
If you like pizza and pasta, then you’ll fall in love with this gluten free pizza pasta salad recipe. Not only is it super delicious and packed with flavor, it’s also healthy. Instead of using regular bacon and pepperoni, I use turkey bacon and turkey pepperoni to keep it higher in protein and lower in calories. And, when combined with my homemade Italian dressing, it gives it such a fresh, bright flavor.
For the noodles, I substitute regular wheat noodles with either cassava flour noodles or chickpea noodles to keep it gluten free. Then, add a bunch of fresh ingredients, like olives, pepperoncinis, red onion, etc. and you have one delicious pasta salad recipe!
- It’s meal prep friendly. Whether you prep this salad as is or in a jar (as shown below), it’ll last for days in the fridge, which makes it a great meal prep recipe.
- It’s healthy. This recipe is gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. It’s filled with fresh and simple ingredients.
- It’s filling and delicious. Because this recipe is high in protein, packed with healthy fats, and balanced with healthy carbs, you’ll find it’s very filling without making you tired or sluggish. It gives you energy for hours!
Additionally, this pasta salad is great for meal prep, especially if you prep it salad-in-a-jar style. Read more on how to do that below!
Pizza Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Noodles. Any type of fusilli or rotini noodle works with this recipe. I prefer chickpea or cassava flour noodles.
- Proteins. To keep this pizza pasta salad higher in protein, I’ve combined shredded chicken, turkey bacon, and turkey pepperoni, which still gives it that pizza flavor.
- Other “Toppings:” You can get creative with this part and add whatever other pizza toppings you desire. I’m adding olives, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncinis, red onion, and bell pepper.
- Italian Dressing: To bring it all together, you’ll want to include some sort of Italian dressing. My favorite is my homemade version, but store bought works just fine on those weeks that you’re in a hurry.
How To Make It
- Step One: Cook the meats and noodles. Boil the noodles and cook the chicken and bacon. Make sure you let them cool completely for mixing into the salad.
- Step Two: Chop the pepperoni, bell pepper, onion, pepperoncinis, and tomatoes.
- Step Three: Make the homemade Italian dressing.
- Step Four: Add everything to a bowl and mix to combine. Transfer to a bowl and store in the fridge. If you want to make it salad-in-a-jar style, continue reading below.
How To Meal Prep This Pasta Salad Recipe
Did you know you can meal prep pasta salads salad-in-a-jar style just like regular salads? For a more detailed step-by-step guide, read this post. By prepping it this way, it ensures that the ingredients stay fresher for longer and nothing gets too soggy or disintegrates. Here’s how to layer your jars when making this pizza pasta salad recipe.
- Layer One: Add the dressing to the bottom of the jar first.
- Layer Two: Add the cherry tomatoes, pepperoncinis, olives, onion, and bell pepper next.
- Layer Three: Add your proteins, including the shredded chicken, pepperoni, and chopped bacon (no particular order)
- Layer Four: Add the noodles last. And, pack it as much as possible to push out any excess air. This maximizes the freshness.
Storage Tips
I’ve found that freezing pasta salad recipes laters the taste and texture too much for my liking, so I don’t recommend this as a freezer friendly recipe. However, it will stay fresh in the fridge for several days.
- Refrigerator: Will last up to 4-5 days.
- Freezer: not recommend to freeze.
FAQs
- What type of noodles should I use? Any type of fusilli or rotini pasta noodle works with this recipe. I prefer chickpea or cassava flour noodles to keep it gluten free.
- What type of dressing is best? Personally, I love a good Italian dressing with this pizza pasta salad. My homemade Italian dressing is my favorite (see recipe card below).
- For meal prepping, what jars do you use? For regular salads, I use quart size mason jars. But, for pasta salads, I like to use these Weck Jars, which are the perfect size for pasta salads. They’re also stackable and freezer friendly.
Pizza Pasta Salad
Video
Equipment
- 5 Glass Jars (optional, for meal prepping)
- Large Salad Bowl (if serving a crowd)
Ingredients
For the Italian Dressing (5 servings):
- 1/2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 C. White Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes (or grated parmesan)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp EACH of Dried Oregano and Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp EACH of Sea Salt and Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp EACH of Black Pepper, Onion Powder, and Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2-1 Whole Lemon, juice only (optional)
For the Pizza Pasta Salad (5 servings):
- 8 oz Gluten Free Fusilli or Rotini Pasta Noodles
- 12 oz Chicken Breasts
- 7 slices Uncured Turkey Bacon, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
- 4 oz Uncured Turkey Pepperoni, cut into fourths
- 1 C. Cherry Tomatoes, cut into halves or fourths
- 2/3 C. Pepperoncinis, roughly chopped (or banana peppers)
- 1/2 C. Black Olives, sliced
- 1/2 C. Red Onion, chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, de-seeded and chopped
- 1/4 C. Fresh Basil, chopped
Instructions
- Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a bowl or large measuring cup and whisk until fully combined. Set aside.
- Noodles: Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Chicken: Lightly season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Bake at 375 F. for about 35 minutes or until fully cooked through. Once done, shred with a fork.
- Bacon: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the turkey bacon until fully browned. Place onto a plate with a paper towel to drain the excess grease. Once it has cooled, cut or crumble it into bite size pieces.
- Assembly: Add all salad ingredients to a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over top. Mix until fully combined. Store in fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- Meal Prepping: For prepping individual portions, I recommend the salad-in-a-jar method. Layer the ingredients in this order – salad dressing, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncinis, olives, red onion, bell pepper, chicken, pepperoni, bacon, noodles. Store in fridge for up to 4-5 days. When ready to serve, dump everything into a bowl, toss, top with fresh basil (optional), and enjoy!
Fantastic recipe! My fiance and I did the weekly 5 meal prep with this as the lunch and did it 2 weeks in a row because it was so delicious!! I am a full time nanny to 3 energetic kids and this nourishes my body with enough protein to get through the crazy afternoons with plenty of energy. 5/5 stars!!!