Pizza inspires this gluten-free pasta salad. Light and healthy this is perfect for a picnic, potluck, side dish or main course.
I have been thinking about making this ever since I made my Caprese Pasta Salad. My husband competes in triathlons pretty much once a month March through November. The point of telling you this is that he’s been asking for more pasta dishes to fuel him for his multi-hour long training sessions. I don’t cook or eat pasta often (personal preference) so creating recipes around pasta is new to me. I like Ancient Harvest because their products are gluten-free. I’m not 100% gluten-free but for the most part I try. In this recipe I used Ancient Harvest’s gluten-free rotini pasta but really any pasta you want to use will work. Whether it be whole-wheat, gluten-free, spaghetti or linguine. When it comes to the vegetables, the sky is the limit. Just think to yourself – what do you like on your vegetarian pizza? Whatever that is, dice it up and toss it in. To make this a vegan dish simply omit the mozzarella cheese. For you meat eaters, I suggest adding pepperoni.
The dressing for this pasta salad uses Flavor God’s Pizza & Italian Zest. I understand that some of you reading this might not have those seasonings so below are homemade pizza & Italian blends that you can use in its place. You probably have all of these ingredients already in your pantry. I found both of these recipes on Pinterest (of course). Pinterest by the way is a GREAT source for food inspiration.
Homemade Pizza Seasoning Blend (source: Food.com)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp cayenne chili pepper flakes
1⁄2 tbsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 16 ounces pasta, cooked
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 3.8 ounces black olives, sliced
- 14 ounces artichokes, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 8 ounces mozzarella balls
- ⅔ cup oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tsp Flavor God's Pizza
- 1 tsp Flavor God's Italian Zest
- In a large bowl mix together pasta, mushrooms, black olives, artichokes, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella balls.
- In a small bowl whisk together oil, red wine vinegar and Flavor God seasonings.
- Pour dressing into large bowl making sure all ingredients get wet.
- Mix gently until well combined.
This pasta salad looks wonderful!
Thank you so much!