Jump to Recipe
This quick and easy Italian Pasta Salad recipe includes grilled pork, cheddar cheese, and a variety of vegetables.
Four random ingredients and 20 minutes to make a meal. When I am in a situation where I have to pull a couple of random ingredients together to make dinner, I often turn to cheese to pull the meal together. I have found that my kids will forgive me for quite a few vegetables if I have included enough cheese in the recipe.
My other secret for pulling together a quick meal is salad dressing. Salad dressings are versatile and can be used as marinades and sauces. So I began my challenge by making a Zesty Italian Salad Dressing that I could use both to add flavor to the pasta salad and as a quick marinade for the pork loin.
This recipe includes grilling. We often think of grilling as a more involved cooking method, but it doesn’t have to be long and tedious. You can do most of your food prep while waiting for the coals to be ready. And if you use a timer, you can multi-task and bounce back and forth between the kitchen and the barbecue while the meat is grilling.
Italian Pasta Salad with Pork and Cheese Recipe
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 pound pork loin chops
- 8 ounces rotini
- 3 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced yellow pepper
- 1 7.5 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
Zesty Italian Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Light the coals.
- Add the Italian Salad dressing ingredients to a cruet. Stir or shake well to combine.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup of the dressing over the pork loin chops. Use a basting brush to coat both sides. Let marinate while until the coals are ready. Reserve 1/4 cup of the salad dressing to baste the meat while it is grilling.
- Gill the pork chops over medium-high heat for 5 – 6 minutes on the first side, and 4 – 5 minutes on the second side. Check to ensure they are cooked through. If they are not, move them to a cooler section of the grill to finish cooking.
- While the pork chops are grilling, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain.
- Cut the cooked pork chops into bite size pieces.
- Add the cooked pasta, cubed pork, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, pepper, and Sargento cheese. Drizzle 1 cup of the Italian salad dressing over the ingredients and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately or serve chilled.
Printable Recipe for Italian Pasta Salad with Grilled Pork
Italian Pasta Salad with Pork and Cheese
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 pound pork loin chops
- 8 ounces rotini
- 3 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced yellow pepper
- 1 7.5 oz package shredded cheese
Zesty Italian Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Light the coals.
- Add the Italian Salad dressing ingredients to a cruet. Stir or shake well to combine.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup of the dressing over the pork loin chops. Use a basting brush to coat both sides. Let marinate while until the coals are ready. Reserve 1/4 cup of the salad dressing to baste the meat while it is grilling.
- Gill the pork chops over medium-high heat for 5 - 6 minutes on the first side, and 4 - 5 minutes on the second side. Check to ensure they are cooked through. If they are not, move them to a cooler section of the grill to finish cooking.
- While the pork chops are grilling, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain.
- Cut the cooked pork chops into bite size pieces.
- Add the cooked pasta, cubed pork, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, pepper, and Sargento cheese. Drizzle 1 cup of the Italian salad dressing over the ingredients and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately or serve chilled.
Nutrition
