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Grinder Pasta Salad

Grinder pasta salad brings all the bold, stacked flavors of a loaded Italian grinder—salami, capicola, provolone, banana peppers, and iceberg—into tangy, chilled pasta. Rotini is cooked al dente, cooled, then tossed with deli meats and a creamy-tangy dressing for a hoagie-style deli pasta salad bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 760
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Rotini pasta
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
Deli meats and cheese
  • 4 oz Genoa salami cut into strips
  • 4 oz capicola or ham cut into strips
  • 4 oz pepperoni halved
  • 4 oz provolone cubed
Vegetables
  • 1.5 cup shredded iceberg
  • 0.5 red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 0.33 cup banana peppers sliced
Grinder dressing
  • 0.67 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 salt to taste
  • 1 black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the rotini pasta in boiling water until al dente, then drain and rinse cold to stop the cooking.
  2. Transfer to a sheet pan and cool until room temperature, spreading it out so it doesn’t steam.
Make the grinder dressing
  1. Whisk together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper until smooth and creamy.
Assemble and chill
  1. Combine the cooled pasta with Genoa salami, capicola or ham, pepperoni, provolone, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and banana peppers.
  2. Pour the grinder dressing over the pasta mixture and toss until everything is coated.
  3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes so the pasta absorbs flavor.
Finish and serve
  1. Add shredded iceberg right before serving and toss again so it stays crisp.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the pasta cold and cool it fully before mixing so the dressing clings without turning watery. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; add iceberg only at serving time for best crunch. Freezing is not recommended for pasta salads with crunchy greens. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise in the grinder dressing and the salad still keeps the same tangy, deli-style flavor.