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This Pepperoni Pasta Salad that’s easy to make and loaded with Italian flavors uses lower-carb Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta. Or see options in the recipe for other types of pasta you can use to make this tasty pasta salad with pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, green onions, chopped basil, and Parmesan cheese!
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This Pepperoni Pasta Salad recipe is getting an update for a couple of reasons, and I hope you love the new version of this salad as much as we did! This is a recipe I first made a few years ago with Palmini low-carb pasta made with hearts of palm. And even though Kara and I really enjoyed some of our experiments with that pasta, eventually it was clear it was not a hit with most of my readers. Not only was the hearts of palm pasta pricey, I got feedback from quite a few people that they missed the feel of “real” pasta.
So Kara and I re-created this recipe with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti, and we ended up deciding it was worth a few more carbs to get the real wheat pasta flavor you get with that option. And we also changed the name to Pepperoni Pasta Salad, since the old name no longer fit the recipe.
But you can make this with the type of pasta you prefer! If you’re a fan of Palmini Pasta, I’ll include instructions to make this salad using that for a low-carb version. And you can also make it with regular spaghetti if you don’t care that much about the carbs!
And for people who are fans of pepperoni, this would be a perfect pasta salad to take to a summer pot-luck or to make for a family dinner! I hope you’ll enjoy trying it, no matter what type of pasta you prefer!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
What is Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta?
These days Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta (affiliate link) is definitely my favorite lower-carb pasta. This product is a high-fiber wheat pasta made in Italy and it comes in Penne, Rotini, Spaghetti, and Elbows. The Fiber Gourmet Pasta tastes just like regular pasta made with wheat, but it’s higher in fiber, which decreases the net carbs. The only thing that’s a downside to the Fiber Gourmet Pasta for some people will be the price. I haven’t found it in stores, and when I order from Amazon I am careful to choose the pack with six boxes so it comes out to about $6.66 per box, or sometimes a bit less when it’s on sale. That’s pricey but worth it for me when I’m craving pasta and want a few less carbs. Both Kara and I love this for a pasta option, just search “Fiber Gourmet” on the website to find other recipes where we’ve used it.
How high in carbs is Pepperoni Pasta Salad with Fiber Gourmet Pasta?
If you make this salad with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti (affiliate link) it will have 18.3 net carbs per serving and 8 grams of protein when it’s eaten as a side dish serving.
More pasta options for Pepperoni Pasta Salad?
If you want a low-carb option for this salad, use Palmini Low-Carb Linguini (affiliate link) which will be less than 5 net carbs and 8 grams of protein for a side dish serving. Palmini Pasta is also gluten-free. And if you don’t care that much about the carbs, you can also make the tasty salad with regular spaghetti!
Can you use regular pepperoni for this pasta salad?
Kara and I loved how the sliced cherry tomatoes matched the shape of the mini pepperoni in this salad. But if you don’t want to buy mini-pepperoni, just use the same of amount of regular pepperoni, cut in half or quarters.
Tips for making Pepperoni Pasta Salad:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe. These tips are for Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or regular spaghetti. See the end of the complete recipe below for instructions with Palmini Pasta.)
- The first photo shows the Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti (affiliate link) I now prefer for this recipe.
- Break spaghetti noodles in half or thirds to make it easier to mix the salad.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook the Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti at a low simmer for 14 minutes. Then test to see if the pasta is as done as you prefer. (In Utah I need to cook it about 5 minutes more. For regular spaghetti, cook according to package directions.)
- When the spaghetti is done to your liking, drain well in a colander.
- While spaghetti cooks, slice cherry tomatoes crosswise, drain the sliced olives, slice green onions, and chop the fresh basil.
- We used one cup of mini-pepperoni, so for regular pepperoni cut in half or quarters and use about that amount.
- Grate or measure out Parmesan Cheese.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and then mix chopped basil into the dressing.
- Transfer drained pasta to large mixing bowl; then mix dressing into the drained pasta, making sure spaghetti is coated with dressing.
- Then gently mix in the sliced tomatoes, mini pepperoni, sliced olives, and green onions.
- Mix 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese into the salad.
- Season salad to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Then sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad can be served at room temperature or chilled, with more Parmesan to be added at the table if desired.
Make it as part of a Low-Carb Summer Meal:
Pepperoni Pasta Salad would be a great side dish to serve with one of these low-carb summer main dishes:
More Tasty Salads for Summer Dinners:
Check out Favorite Keto Summer Salads for more ideas for salads to make for dinner when it’s hot outside!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. package Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti
- water + 1 tsp. salt for cooking pasta
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- one 6.5 oz. can sliced olives
- one 5 oz. package mini pepperoni
- 1/3 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/3 cup Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp. Italian Herb Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Break spaghetti noodles in half or thirds to make it easier to mix the salad.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook the Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti at a low simmer for the 14 minutes it says on the package. Then test to see if the pasta is as done as you prefer. (In Utah where it’s high altitude, I need to cook it about 5 minutes more for al dente. For regular spaghetti, cook according to package directions.)
- When the spaghetti is done, drain it well in a colander placed in the sink.
- While spaghetti cooks, slice cherry tomatoes crosswise to make 3-4 round slices from each cherry tomato.
- Drain the sliced olives, slice green onions, and finely chop the fresh basil.
- The package of mini-pepperoni we used was about one cup, so if you’re using regular pepperoni, cut each pepperoni in half or quarters until you have about a cup.
- Grate or measure out the Parmesan Cheese
- Whisk together Paul Newman’s Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing, Italian Herb Blend, and garlic powder to make the dressing. Then mix the chopped basil into the dressing.
- Transfer drained pasta to a large mixing bowl, and then mix the dressing into the drained pasta, making sure all the spaghetti is coated with dressing.
- Then gently mix in the sliced tomatoes, mini pepperoni, sliced olives, and green onions.
- Mix 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese into the salad and season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese over the top of salad.
- Pepperoni Pasta Salad can be served at room temperature or chilled, with more Parmesan to be added at the table if desired.
HOW TO MAKE THIS SALAD WITH PALMINI LOW-CARB PASTA:
- We used one can of Palmini Linguini for this recipe. Dump the linguini into colander and drain well.
- Then use Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) and cut the linguini into half or in thirds.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and linguine noodles, and cook at a low simmer for 5 minutes.
- Then drain cooked noodles well in a colander placed in the sink.
- Follow other directions as above to make the salad.
Notes
You can use any low-sugar vinaigrette to make the dressing for this salad.
This recipe is quite flexible, so if you prefer more pepperoni, olives, basil, or Parmesan you can increase any of those.
Recipe originally created by Kalyn and Kara when we were experimenting with Palmini Low-Carb Pasta. In 2025 this was updated to Pepperoni Pasta Salad made with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6
Serving Size
1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 336Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 4.3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19.4gCholesterol 7.5mgSodium 553mgCarbohydrates 36gFiber 17.7gSugar 4.6gProtein 8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Pepperoni Pasta Salad made with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti will be lower in carbs than a salad made with traditional pasta, but it may not be low enough in carbs for a strict low-carb diet and is not Keto. The Fiber Gourmet Pasta will work for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet, but South Beach would definitely prefer turkey pepperoni, and possibly a bit less Parmesan.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pasta Recipes or Salad Recipes for more ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Pepperoni Pasta Salad was posted in 2021 using Palmini Pasta. The recipe was rewritten to use Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti, and updated with more information in 2025.
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