Italian Pasta Salad With Pepperoni, Mozzarella Cheese, and Tiny Peas

In days gone by, macaroni salad was a popular "side," served at family picnics and church pot-lucks. Mostly pasta, the salad had a little chopped celery, and a few chopped green peppers and tomatoes for color. Mayonnaise held the components together. Over time, ham, cheese and even hot dogs were added to the basic recipe.
Old fashioned macaroni salad is still around. Its popularity may be due to the ease of preparation or the fact that most people like noodles.
The 1955 edition of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook contains a recipe for "Best-Ever Macaroni Salad," a variation of potato salad. Fast forward to The Pillsbury Complete Cook Book, published in 2000, with its recipe for "Ham and Macaroni Picnic Salad." Pickle relish and diced pimientos are added to the traditional recipe. For a de luxe version, you may add chopped cumbers, sliced green olives and sliced boiled eggs. Like the previous salads, it is dressed with mayonnaise.
Today, restaurants and delicatessens are serving improved versions of the classic recipe. The Pillsbury website posted a recipe for "Layered Pizza Salad" made with rotini pasta, fresh mozzarella, and sliced pepperoni. I followed the basic recipe, but used vegetable pene pasta instead. Made with dried carrots, tomatoes, and spinach, this product has a full serving of vegetables in each four-ounce portion.
To cut down on fat and salt, I deleted the shredded Paremesan cheese from the recipe. To boost the vegetable content I added a cup of defrosted tiny peas. I didn't add any extra salt because I thought there was enough in the pepperoni and cheese. My 20-year old granddaughter loved the salad and so did I. Do pepperoni lovers live at your house? If so, this version of an old classic is sure to be a hit.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked vegetable penne pasta
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup tiny peas, defrosted in warm water
3.5-ounce package of sliced pepperoni
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I used reduced fat cheese.)
Light Italian dressing (your choice)
Method
Cook pnene according to package directions. Rinse well with cold water, drain, and transfer to large bowl. Add chopped vegetables and drained peas. Slice pepperoni circles in half. Add to pasta mixture, along with mozzarella. Drizzle with dressing, toss, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours to blend flavors. Serve as is, or over Boston lettuce leaves. (Boston lettuce is also called butter lettuce.)Makes about 10 servings.

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