Combine these fresh ingredients for pizza salad and get your pizza fix the healthy way! And what makes this recipe even better? It's a healthier version, even fitting into the Weight Watchers points program, coming in at 3 SmartPoints per serving!
When you use fresh vegetables in this pizza salad recipe, the entire salad is elevated. All of a sudden it tastes like summer! The pepperonis remind me of pizza, so it’s easy to get my fix with this better-for-me salad.
Pizza Salad with Pasta
Every time I take this pizza salad with pasta to cookouts or get-togethers, everyone asks me for the recipe. The funny thing is - it's SO easy to make! After you put it together once, you'll have the recipe memorized.
Pizza Salad - Better For You
With all the fresh veggies packed in this salad, it's so much healthier for you than pizza. Plus, you can even choose to make this with gluten-free pasta or even fiber-rich pasta. Replace the bottle of Italian salad dressing with your own vinegar and oil dressing if you want to control the amount of sugar. (Note that this may change the SmartPoints if you are on Weight Watchers.)
How To Make Your Own Italian Salad Dressing
When you're buying salad dressing at the store, make sure you get one that's low in sugar. It’s easy to control the amount of sugar in your dressing if you make your own. Making Italian salad dressing is super simple.
The most basic recipe is:
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar
I love using olive oil with red wine or flavored vinegar. When I was in Victoria, BC a couple of months ago I tasted a fig balsamic vinegar that was out of this world and would be perfect with this salad. Use salt and pepper to taste. You can also add in garlic powder for an extra kick!
Time Saving Tips For Salad Prep
One of my biggest complaints about making salads is how time-consuming it can be. This is why I like having a “prep day.” I chop up all my fresh veggies and store them in plastic containers in the fridge. I also make sure I have a jar of homemade dressing premade.
When it is time to make this pizza salad, I just have to boil the pasta and mix in the veggies and dressing. This saves me so much time!
You could even add all the ingredients except the pasta right in a mason jar. Have you seen my salad in a jar recipes? They make life so much easier to take lunch with you to work. On busy weekday mornings, you just have to grab the jar and go. No excuses for eating out!
Pizza Salad Shopping List
Make sure your fridge is stocked with the following foods so you can make your own Pizza Salad.
- 8 oz box of Penne Pasta
- Green & Red Bell Peppers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Black Olives
- Mini Pepperoni
- 8 oz low-skim Mozzarella Cheese (chopped or shredded)
- Fresh Basil
- Italian Salad Dressing
That’s it! You can always add in your favorite veggies and switch up the type of pasta, too. Broccoli and cauliflower taste amazing with the onion and pepperoni.
Pizza Salad Recipe
Here is everything you need to know to make your own pizza salad with pasta. It’s such an easy-breezy recipe!
Serving size: 7 servings
1 cup per serving
3 SmartPoints Per Serving
Ingredients
1 box- 8 oz Penne pasta
½ cup green pepper diced ( 2 )
½ cup red pepper diced ( 2 )
1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
½ cup red onion
1 cup black olives
1 cup mini pepperoni
1 cup chopped low-skim Mozzarella
3 tbsp. fresh basil
Dressing
1 cup store-bought Italian fat-free dressing
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Rinse under cold water.
Set to the side to chill.
Prepare your vegetables and proportion the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl add your pasta, red & green pepper, tomatoes, cheese, red onion, olives, and pepperoni.
Toss to combine.
Add your dressing.
Toss again to coat.
Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
Garnish with fresh basil.
ENJOY!!
Pizza Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 box- 8 oz Penne pasta
- ½ cup green pepper diced 2
- ½ cup red pepper diced 2
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- ½ cup red onion
- 1 cup black olives
- 1 cup mini pepperoni
- 1 cup chopped low-skim Mozzarella
- 3 tbsp. fresh basil
Dressing
- 1 cup store-bought Italian fat-free dressing
Instructions
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Rinse under cold water.
- Set to the side to chill.
- Prepare your vegetables and proportion the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl add your pasta, red & green pepper, tomatoes, cheese, red onion, olives, and pepperoni.
- Toss to combine.
- Add your dressing.
- Toss again to coat.
- Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish with fresh basil.
- ENJOY!!
How Many Servings Does This Pasta Salad Make?
If you follow the directions as written, this makes 7 servings. This is perfect for a week’s worth of healthy lunches.
More Weight Watchers Recipes
If you enjoyed this Weight Watchers Pasta Salad recipe, you’ll want to check out my other Weight Watchers Recipes!
- Weight Watchers Chicken Pot Pie
- Lemon Herb Shrimp Recipe
- Weight Watchers Wraps
- Weight Watchers Chocolate Desserts
Love this recipe? Pin it to Pinterest so others can see it, too. Thanks for sharing!
happy wheels
This pizza salad recipe has a lot of herbs and fresh fruits that are very eye-catching and colorful, I love this dish.
Moe
Can I make this a day ahead of time?
Kelly Stilwell
Not really. It won't be nearly as good. Sorry!