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Overhead shot of a bowl of Italian grinder pasta salad next to a napkin and serving utensils.

Italian Grinder Pasta Salad (Dairy Free)

This dairy-free Italian grinder pasta salad combines pasta, deli meats, crisp lettuce, and a creamy dressing for your new favorite summertime dish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword dairy free, Italian grinder pasta salad
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 meal-sized servings
Calories 433 kcal
Author Dairy Free for Baby

Ingredients

For the pasta salad:

  • 12 oz dry farfalle pasta
  • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce (or iceburg)
  • 1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pint)
  • ¾ cup jarred banana pepper rings (or sliced pepperoncinis)
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
  • ½ cup sliced hard salami, chopped (about 10 sandwich-sized slices; double check to ensure dairy-free)
  • ½ cup pepperoni slices, chopped (regular or turkey; double check to ensure dairy-free)

For the dressing (optional; can use store-bought):

  • ½ cup light mayonnaise (double check to ensure dairy-free)
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, drain in a colander and let cool for a few minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by mixing together the light mayo, red wine vinegar, oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Set aside for now.
  3. In another large mixing bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, banana peppers, red onion, salami, and pepperoni together.
  4. Add the cooked pasta to the bowl with the veggies and deli meat. Stir to combine.
  5. Add the dressing and toss until everything is well coated. Serve at room temperature or serve chilled. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • It's important to double check packaged deli meats to ensure they do not contain dairy products. See full notes in the blog post.
  • We like the flavor of red onion in dishes like this; if you’re not a big fan of raw red onion, decrease to 2-4 tablespoons instead of ⅓ cup.
  • Instead of the mayo-based dressing, feel free to use an oil & vinegar dressing (store-bought or homemade) instead, or any other favorite option that you enjoy. Double check to ensure that any store-bought dressings are dairy-free.
  • This recipe makes about six meal-sized servings, which is what the nutrition analysis below is based on. If using this as a side dish, you should get around 10-12 side dish servings.

 

Nutrition analysis (approximate per serving): 433 calories, 19 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 900 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 13 g protein, Vitamin D: 1%, Calcium: 3%, Iron: 15%, Potassium: 8%